Everything comes with a price
by BookPrincess28
Summary: Based on Looking Away Challenge by EmInArEvOl. Seigaku has won the Nationals; however, it's not the happy ending we expect. It turns out, Seigaku is just using Ryoma in order to win. However, what they don't know is that what goes around comes around, and they will have to pay the price eventually...and Ryoma will make sure of it. Luckily, he's not alone. Royal Pair, and a few OCs
1. Betrayal

**CR: Hello, everyone, I was exploring POT fanfics just yesterday and I found this Looking Away Challenge. I figured I'd take it, since I love challenges. Also, I like Royal Pair (though not as much as Pillar Pair). I hope you'd forgive me for spelling mistakes and stuff. Why? Because on the way home less than half an hour ago, I nearly got involved in an accident. Thank god my dad braked in time. My head hit the hard part of the car seat in front of me and the impact made my glasses fly off. My left eye is injured in the process, and I can't see very well now. I am not feeling very well, now, so do enjoy my new story.**

**I do not own POT. P.S: The Training Center in this story is similar to the Hunger Games, only the penthouses and gym are at separate buildings. Also, the gym has multiple floors, instead of one.**

As he was thrown in the air, Ryoma, for once in his life, was genuinely laughing and smiling. He felt great, elated that he could help these people to become so happy. After all the congratulations, he was set down, patting his back for a job well done.

"Echizen-kun, why don't you go home and rest a few days or so? That nasty fall you had and the resulting amnesia might have had an effect on you. We'll just postpone the celebration party a few days after you'd rested. Like maybe 3 days or so in Kawamura Sushi?" Oishi suggested, in all of his mother-heniness.

"Hoi, hoi! Oishi's right Ochibi!" Eiji added, smiling.

"Echizen, get some good rest and then in 3 days, go to Kawamura Sushi." Tezuka said.

Ryoma smiled, said "Alright", took his things and proceeded go home. When he was almost out of the stadium he realized he forgot something and ran back to the others. As neared where he left them, he heard them talking, and he slowed down.

"You think he's gone?"

"98% that he's already left the stadium, 1% he got hold up by somebody else but still in the stadium but far enough not to hear us, 0.88% that he's outside drinking Ponta and a 0.2% chance of him returning here." Inui listed down his statistics.

"Finally, the Cup's ours. All thanks to the brat."

"Yeah, it feels good to be National champions for once."

"Yes, now, Tezuka, can we please kick him out of the team now?" Fuji almost whined.

"Yes, He'd done his job. We'll just tell him he has to focus on winning the Grand Slams or something." Tezuka said harshly.

"Good riddance, I am SO tired of pretending to actually care for that brat. Best Friends, pft! Yeah right! Isn't that right, Mamushi?"

"Yes finally, we can stop pretending of hating each other, I hate fighting with such a good friend like you, Momo."

Ryoma felt tears well up in his eyes. 'To think I was going to thank them for their help in that game. I bet they felt absolutely nothing back from before I left them for America. Those fake tears they had when I thanked them by showing their own techniques to them.' Ryoma couldn't stop the sob that escaped him and the others looked to his direction and saw his tear stained face. They all looked stunned and was about to say something when Ryoma took off his jacket, throwing it to the ground and stepping on it. His voice was strained but didn't break and said in a low deadly tone, "I thought I finally found true friends. You're all just like everyone else. I hate you all. If you want me out of the team then fine. I quit never expect me to be back here ever again!" Ryoma turned to walk away when he turned back to them. "Well, Don't expect me to leave this matter unattended. Expect me….real soon."

Ryoma walked away, leaving a stunned team of Regulars.

Once he went home, he said harshly to his dad, "Oyaji! Contact Pakura now!"

The old man was stunned. "Where're your friends?"

Ryoma laughed sarcastically. "What friends? They used me to win the darn National Tournament! I shouldn't have even bothered to come back here! What are you waiting for? Contact Pakura now, didn't you hear me?"

"Alright, alright." He dialed Pakura's number.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Paku-chan?" said Nanjiroh. (Her name's Pakura, but they call her Paku for short)

"Nanjiroh-oji-san! It's good to hear from you! What is it?" Pakura replied. Nanjiroh looked towards Ryoma. Ryoma snatched the phone from his dad, put it on his ear, and said to her, "Paku. I'm coming back to America. Is there a room available at the Training Center?"

Pakura checked the list. "Well…..yes, there's one at the seventh floor, across from my room. Why?"

"Good. Book that room for me, would you?" Ryoma chocked out those words

"Alright. Is there something wrong? You sound sad." said Pakura.

"I'll explain when I get there, Paku." Said Ryoma, tears silently flowing down his cheekc.

"Ok."

Pakura closed the phone. 'I wonder what's going on.'

**A/N: The impact of my head hitting against the seat was harder than I thought. I think I need to get some rest. Don't worry, I will make sure my OCs aren't too perfect. I read about them and let's just say, if I had less control, I would have broken the monitor.**


	2. They did WHAT?

**CR: I really shouldn't be here, actually, due to the shock I got when an accident happened in front of my eyes and I escaped generally unscathed, but my eye was hit. I don't really want to disappoint everyone by procrastinating, and I hate to keep anyone waiting. Generally, however, I am a very patient person. Well, here's the second chapter, I hope you like it!**

Ryoma packed his luggage and was ready to go within a week.

14 hours later, Ryoma landed in America. He looked around the airport and found a boy with dark blue hair and green eyes. "Tyler!" he called out. The boy looked up from his novel. "Ryoma, good to see you!" said Tyler. Tyler was Ryoma's classmate back when they were in grade school. He was a cheerful boy but he when he is angered, you'd better watch out. "Where's Pakura?"

Tyler's face darkened. "Shortly after your call, she was chosen to participate in the Intense Tenisa Matches." Ryoma gasped. "How long has she been in there?" he asked, worried about his best friend, Pakura. The Intense Tenisa Matches (ITM for short) is a game held 3 times every year where 12 high schools were picked and then, they pick 24 players ages 15-18 from there, one male and one female. Then, once they were picked, they were thrown into a playing arena where they play tennis against each other in all sorts of environments, weathers, and conditions. They will be thrown there for a week and they will play against each other. The one who won the most matches will be the Champion. These Champions will become mentors for the future players that will be selected for the next Intense Tenisa Matches. At some point during the Matches, there will be people from the organization called "The Chess Pieces." The Chess ranks are based on the pieces in the game of chess with rank going from King down to Queen, Knights, Bishops, Rooks and Pawns, separating the hierarchy into two parts. However, in this case, there is no King or Queen in the organization. Although the rudimentary rule for ranking is based on their abilities, it's also noted that members of lower ranks can be stronger than their superiors. These Chess members, especially the Knights, have trained for the Matches all of their lives and they win almost every Matches. Usually, the Champions are boys because they have more endurance towards the harsh conditions and more stamina than the girls.

"Well, I don't know. Today's the seventh day." said Tyler. "If we get there in time, we might see who the champion is." He grabbed Ryoma's hand, and dragged him to the awaiting limo. They arrived at the Training Center, and went to the counter. "Ryoma Echizen, room at seventh floor." said Ryoma. The woman checked her computer, smiled, and nodded. "Here's your card key." She replied, handing him his card key. "Thanks." He and Tyler took the elevator to the seventh floor. They took their seats at the lounge and Tyler turned on the TV. They were in time to see Pakura defeat the last player and the trumpets played, with someone declaring Pakura as the Champion. Pakura had bruises all over her arms and legs and she was bleeding from the side of her mouth, but otherwise she seemed ok and she was smiling despite her injuries. Tyler clapped and cheered while Ryoma smiled inwardly. His best friend had won the Intense Tenisa Matches.

Later, at the seventh floor penthouse, Ryoma was eating dinner with Tyler and a few other players. "Hey, Tyler, when do you think Paku will return?" said Ryoma.

Tyler scratched his head. "Well, there's usually a lag of few days between the end of the competition and the presentation of the victor so that they can put together the starving, wounded, mess of a person back together again." said Tyler slowly. Ryoma remembered in the Tenisa Matches, you'll have to look for your own food and water. There are some who died in the Matches because of dehydration or starvation. Not everyone would escape the Matches unscathed.

3 days later, they caught Pakura on TV, doing her interview. She was wearing a soft blue dress with matching shoes and her hair is done up in a ponytail with blur butterfly clips.

"Congratulations, Pakura. Seems like you can go home to fame and lots of fortune now." said the interviewer.

"Why yes, Gerald. However, what is more important is I'm going back to my friends." said Pakura.

"Of course. They were the ones who have supported you all the way, right?" said Gerald.

"Yes, of course, Gerald. I am sure they are smiling and cheering for me right now."

"Yes, of course. Also, it's very rare to have a female champion. What do you have to say about that?"

"Well, I am happy I get to make a mark in this Matches. I will be something of a living legend! Also, I get to be a mentor now!" Pakura laughed.

"Sure you will." said Gerald.

A few days later, Pakura returned to the Training Center to an awaiting Tyler and Ryoma. She hugged Ryoma tightly. "It's been so long, Ryoma! I miss you!" she cried. Ryoma hugged her back. "Me too, Paku."

"Thank god, I won't be picked anymore. Also, it's quite tiring to act cheerful in front of the audience." said Pakura. "That Tenisa Matches was a nightmare." Once you win the Intense Tenisa Matches, you will not be picked anymore, even if you are still eligible for selection. In return, you will have to mentor the future players selected from your school for the next Intense Tenisa Matches. She saw the look on Ryoma's face, and faltered. "Something wrong, Ryoma?" Pakura asked, concern etched in her face. "You know you can tell me." She said, squeezing his shoulder gently. Ryoma looked into the sapphire blue eyes. In some lights, her eyes looked almost black. "Well….." he hesitated. "It was…." Pakura raised her eyebrows expectantly. Ryoma sighed resignedly. "It was like this…."

For the next few minutes, Ryoma talked into rapt silence. Pakura's eyebrows furrowed as he went on with his story and Tyler crushed the peach he was holding, the juice flowing steadily in his hand. "Those bastards…." He muttered. Pakura hugged Ryoma and patted his back soothingly. "It will be alright…." She murmured. "They will get what they deserved, eventually."

"And I will make sure of it….." Ryoma mumbled, feeling sleepy, and fell asleep in the warmth of his best friend's arms.

**CR: I think I need a rest. The impact from the accident is worse than I thought.**


	3. I have to go back to Japan

**CR: Whew! Today I went to an anime festival, and it was fun! I sang karaoke in Japanese and I sang Heroes Come Back and Blue Bird. I also bought a lot of things (T-shirts and head accessories), and I got to take pictures with all those cute guys in the butler café! OMG, they are so cute, I paid $10 because I want to take pictures with two of them! I spent like 5 hours there, and I am pooped. Anyway, continue with the story.**

3 years later…..

A boy around 5'8 was sitting in the school office drinking Ponta. His mentor, Pakura watched him with worry etched in her face. She was forced to mentor him when he was selected to represent New Day Academy (he went to the same high school as her) for the latest Intense Tenisa Matches. She wondered if he was plagued by the nightmares in the ITM. She remembered her advice to him before he went into the arena. "Don't confront the other players yet. Find the nearest water source, refresh yourself, and make sure to spy on the other players and find out information about them before challenging them. Most of all, you have to stay alive." Yes, her advice had helped him win the ITM. She made sure he knew about plants and its properties. She taught him all the moves she knew. She trained him to use his eyes and ears to play tennis. After the ITM, she taught him the secrets behind doubles. Now, they were not just mentor and protégé, they were doubles partners, the best by far (he's a quick learner). Ryoma finished his Ponta and threw it to the bin without even looking. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." said Pakura. A little girl came in, and handed Pakura an envelope. "President Pakura, here's a message from President Thompson." Pakura accepted the envelope, and said, "Thank you Katie." Katie left and Pakura ripped open the envelope and read the letter. After reading the letter, Pakura called, "Ryoma." He turned and faced her.

"We are supposed to go for a meeting with the other champions. There is something President Thompson would like to talk to us about." said Pakura. Ryoma nodded, and Pakura led him to the staircase and out the gates of the school grounds. He opened the door to her sportscar. Pakura started her car and they drove off to the Manhattan Office. She parked the car and they got out. They then arrived at the office, where there were champions milling around. "Pakura, Ryoma!" Tyler called out. He had won his ITM just after Pakura. "Hey, Tyler." said Ryoma. "What does President Thampson want with us?"

"I don't know." Tyler shrugged. He smiled at Ryoma. "I see you are doing good." He commented. Ryoma smirked. Indeed, he had been doing better. He managed to take over the organization the Chess Pieces and is now the strongest Knight in said organization. Pakura followed second and Tyler third. Also, he's the youngest champion in the ITM ever since Pakura's victory. Just then, President Thompson took his place. "Attention, champions." He said. The hall fell silent, every eyes fixed on the government. "I have good news for all of you. Japan has a training camp, and they would like 8 of our strongest players to be there. These 8 will be helping them in their training, in order to find out who they can choose to represent Japan in future tournaments against other countries. Thus, I have decided to send 8 of our previous champions to Japan." The champions in the hall gasped. 8 of their strongest players? Does that mean they have to fight again? "Oh I forgot to mention, they have to be younger than 18, due to the ages of the male players there. Thus, I have chosen 8 of our strongest champions based on age and ability, and they are all from the Chess Pieces with the Knight ranking!" President Thompson took out a list. Apparently, it is a list of the 8 people that are chosen to go to the camp. "The 8 people I have chosen are…" He cleared his throat and read out the first name. "Tyler Clearwater from Bronx High School." Tyler stood up, looking at his friends for help. "Come on up, Tyler! It's an opportunity to bring honor to your school!" Tyler shakily made his way to the stage. President Thompson patted him on the back, before reading the next name. "Philip Robinson, from New Explorers High School!" A boy with brown hair and purple eyes stepped up, next to Tyler. "Derek Evans, from All Hallows High School!" A boy with red hair and brown eyes stepped up. "Pakura Goldstein, from New Day Academy!" Pakura widened her eyes. What? "But, president, you said the camp is for boys!"

"I did." said President Thompson.

"But I'm a girl, President, I can't go!"

"Nonsense, dear, I called the Head Coach and he said it's OK. Also, he had seen a tape of your ITM; he's very impressed. I'm sure he'd like to meet you, since you are the youngest female champion." Pakura sighed, and went up the stage. "William Anderson, from Bronx Community High School!" A boy with black hair and dark blue eyes stepped out. "Jude Harrison, from Bronx International High School." A boy with blond hair and amber eyes came up. "Christopher McKiddie, from Fordham Preparatory School." A boy with brown hair and black eyes stepped out. "And last but not least….Ryoma Echizen, form New Day Academy!" Ryoma stepped out, looking bored. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a round of applause to our 8 lucky players!" There was scattered applause. "You are all dismissed. The 8 of you come with me." They were led to a conference room. The 8 players looked at each other and nodded at each other. Since they were all champions and in the organization the Chess Pieces, they knew each other quite well. President Thompson closed the door behind him.

"So, congratulations for being picked." said President Thompson. "I have arranged the private jet to take you to the Training Center in 2 days' time. Don't worry; their Training Center is just like ours. So do pack up and meet at the Training Center roof in two days' time. Also, the captain for this newly formed team will be Ryoma and the vice-captain will be Pakura. Any questions?"

Pakura raised her hand. "Why am I the vice-captain?" she asked.

"Well, it's because you are the second strongest according to the data here."

"But isn't it inappropriate for a girl to be a vice-captain of this practically all-boys team?"

"Not at all. I am not a sexist. I choose you based on your ability, not because of your gender."

"Alright."

"Any more questions?"

Ryoma raised his hand. "Yes, Ryoma?"

"May I go there earlier?" said Ryoma. The others stared at him.

"Why?" said President Thompson.

"I would like to visit my family before the training camp." said Ryoma.

"Sure, why not! I'll arrange for you to take the flight and inform the coach, but on one condition: You must take someone with you." Ryoma looked around at his fellow champions. Who should he take with him? Well, he'll take….

"Pakura. I'll take her." Pakura widened her eyes.

"Alright. When do you want to leave?"

"Tonight."

"Fine. I'll inform the coach of you two arriving earlier, alright? I'll also pay for your flight." Both of them nodded. "Any more questions?" The room remained silent. "Fine. You all are dismissed!" The champions filed out of the conference room, and Pakura drove them back to the penthouse, where they packed their bags. At some point, their flight tickets arrived. They took the plane back to Japan. 12 hours later, they landed in Japan. Pakura bundled up her hair and wore her white cap, similar to Ryoma's. They walked down the baggage area, Pakura checking her weapons cases to check that none of her weapons are damaged on the flight. "Oh yeah, Paku, I need to go to the washroom for a while. Wait here, won't you?" Pakura smiled, and nodded.

"Eh? Aren't you the traitor that betrayed Seigaku three years ago?" A voice spoke from her left side. Instinctively, Pakura turned, and gave the person a fatal punch. The person flew, and hit against the wall. The person had grey eyes and purple hair.

The person groaned, and tried to focus on the person in front of him. Wait, that's not Echizen. The person is more curvaceous, and the person had slightly large breasts and long thin legs. Just then, Ryoma came out of the bathroom. "Paku, what's going on? I thought I heard someone slamming against the wall."

"Well, this stranger spoke to me, saying I'm a traitor!" said Pakura, pointing to the person sprawled on the floor, Ryoma gasped slightly. "What, do you know him, Ryoma?"

"Sure I do."

"Really, what's his name?"

"His name's…..Monkey King."

**CR: Now, what would Pakura's reaction to his name be? Well, I'll leave it till the next chapter, toodles! I know it's lousy, because I added a Hunger games twist to this story. Do review. I am aiming for 15 reviews this time, and if I do get 15 reviews, I will update tomorrow, if not…..well, you know what I mean.**


	4. Tainting my mentor's innocence is fun!

**CR: Ok, I wrote this chapter because I was bored, that's all. I guess I wasn't a good writer after all. Oh, if you guys are asking about my injured eye I got, well, I got discharged from the hospital. I am so tired of the hospital food, doesn't taste like home at all. My family has to be burdened by bringing in my daily medication (I suffer from a medical condition). Well, thank my lucky stars all I got was a bruised eye from the near car accident. Anyway, bacl to the story!**

"Monkey King? That's a weird name." said Pakura, frowning. "Alright. Let's wake Monkey King up then." She took out her water bottle, and poured it on Monkey King's head. He woke up, spluttering. "How dare you ruin Ore-sama's beautiful hair, you female bastard!" Pakura twitched. "Hey, I was just trying to wake you up, Monkey King. Anyway, I don't give a damn about your 'beautiful' hair!" she snapped. This time, it was Monkey King's turn to twitch. "How dare you call me a Monkey King! You're just like that brat!" Pakura raised her eyebrows. "Well, Ryoma told me Monkey King's your name, so I don't see any harm on calling you by your name." Monkey King rounded on Ryoma, who was sniggering away. "I don't see what's so funny about introducing me as Monkey King, brat. Ore-sama has a beautiful name, and that's Atobe Keigo."

Pakura asked, "What's Ore-sama?"

"It means the stupid me in Japanese." said Ryoma.

"You brat! It means the great and magnificent me! You two had better be awed by my presence!"

Pakura looked him up and down. His hair and shirt is wet from her water bottle and his face had a red weal. He was also sporting an angry expression. She was awed by his presence alright…if being awed meant that fact that you like being in the presence of a crazy looking wet monkey, that is. Pakura turned to Ryoma. "I should've punched him one more time, shouldn't I?"

"Yes you should." said Ryoma.

"No, you shouldn't. Anyway, what was that punch for?"

"That's for calling ME a traitor all of a sudden and I don't even know you!" Pakura snarled.

"I wasn't. I thought you were the brat and speaking of which, I want to talk to the brat to find out what happened three years ago."

"Three years ago?" said Pakura.

"Oh, three years ago?" said Ryoma, his tone suddenly gotten cold. "It was…"

"Ok, enough! Let's not talk here. Let's go to my house and talk, we'll have more privacy."

"Erm…sorry, we can't. I'm going home to visit my-" However, he was cut off as Atobe grabbed his left hand and dragged him towards his limousine. Pakura jogged tp catch up with them, carrying both hers and Ryoma's stuff."Oh yeah, what are you doing in the airport today, Atobe-san?" said Pakura. "Ore-sama was going to send one of his butlers off to America to visit his family. He had better be awed by my generosity." Somewhere in the airport, a certain butler sneezed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." said Pakura. She slapped Atobe's hand, making him let go of Ryoma's arm. "And I'll thank you not to manhandle Ryoma like this, he can walk himself." Ryoma rubbed his arm and muttered a "thanks" to Pakura.

"Oh? What's your relationship with him?" said Atobe, smirking. Inwardly he hoped it wasn't lovers, because that will be his title. Pakura thought for a while, before saying, "Well…."

"Don't answer the question!" said Ryoma, cutting her off. They reached the limo, and Atobe practically shoved Ryoma in, and also helped Pakura put their stuff in the trunk. Pakura climbed in after Ryoma, and Atobe followed last. He slammed the door close and his chauffeur drove off. Ryoma huffed, folded his arms and stared at the window. By the intensity of the glare, it was a wonder why the windows haven't melted. She knew all he wanted to do is to go home and visit his family. And what happened instead? They met some narcissistic person who declared he needed a word with Ryoma and now, they are being kidnapped to his home to have a talk. Worse, she got dragged along because she was with Ryoma. The talk had better be something important, OR ELSE she's going to make sure he won't be able to walk for a week, just like what she did to one of the male players in the ITM. Of course, she won the match against him by default, because his legs were incapacitated. Just then, the limo stopped and Atobe said, "We're here." Pakura stepped out of the limo, and her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of the house. Wait, Atobe did say house, right? A H-O-U-S-E, right? She didn't hear wrong, did she? To call Atobe's home a house would be an understatement. It was like 5 stories high (I anyhow guessed) and it was freaking huge! It looked more like a mansion than a house. Atobe led Ryoma and Pakura in his house. The maids and the butlers welcome Atobe, calling him "Young Master Keigo". He led Pakura and Ryoma in his room, telling the butlers and the maids not to interrupt them for a few hours.

Once in the safety of his room, Atobe locked the door and rounded on both of them.

"You said you wanted to talk. Now spill!" said Ryoma.

"I just want some answers, brat. First off, where were you for the past three years?"

"Well, for starters, I was in America and training regularly with her."

Atobe sighed. He doesn't know anything, does he? "Because you have been labeled as a traitor here."

Pakura stood up. "Seriously? What did Ryoma do?"

Atobe grimaced and said, "Well, it started like this….."

"_Hey, Tezuka, where's that brat that helped you won the championship? Isn't he coming for the celebration?" said Atobe._

_Tezuka shook his head. "No, he's not coming. And we're not going to ask him."_

"_Why not? He's the one who helped you, you should ask him."_

_Oishi sighed. "I wish we could, but it's hard after that boy betrayed us."_

"_Betrayed you?" said Gakuto._

"_Yeah, we heard him talking to someone on the phone, saying now he could use our moves and take credit for being the creator." said Eiji, faking a sigh _

"_No way! I thought he was OK!" said Kenya._

"_I guess you can't judge a person by his looks." said Momhshiro._

Pakura sighed. She pitied her protégé, having to endure betrayers and LIARS! "And I assume you believe them?" said Pakura, trying to keep her voice calm.

"That's the story I got from the Seigaku regulars."

"I see. Now you want to hear Ryoma's side, I presume?"

"You're right."

"Hmm….why do you want to know so much? It's not your business at all. Also, this is something I don't' share freely." said Ryoma.

Atobe had to admit Ryoma got him there. He was nothing to Ryoma, but Ryoma doesn't know he held a special place in his heart ever since that match during the Nationals. He then looked at Pakura. "Then, why did this girl know your side of the story?"

"Simple. She's a special person that I can trust. And also, stop calling her girl, she has a name!"

"I know, but I don't know her name!"

Pakura thought giving him her real name would strike some familiarity with him, so she said "Just call me Carumati for now, Caru for short." Carumati was the nickname her friends give her. It means intelligent and wise. During her ITM, she intelligently observed other players from afar, which allowed her to understand their playing style and their strengths and weaknesses. She was also wily, when she figured out a way to defeat her last player. She was independent and was sly and elusive. Pakura won her ITM by pretending to be a weakling, feigning fatigue and injuries, when in reality she is sly and cunning. She never begins matches at full strength and relied on observations and her amazing speed during matches. Then, when her opponent gains confidence, that's when she would show her sadistic side (like Fuji, but worse) strike back without mercy, making her one of the strongest ITM champions. Also, like Ryoma, she's ambidextrous. She's cool calm and collected. However, one fatal flaw of hers is that she can't even stand to see men topless. She was the most "pure" among the players in the ITM, which almost led to her downfall in the ITM when one of the male players figured it was so hot, he ripped off his shirt. She played the rest of the match with her eyes closed. Pakura shuddered at that memory.

"Alright, Caru, so what's Ryoma's story?"

"What makes you think I'll tell? He'll tell you when he's ready."

"But, I really need to know!"

"Why?" said Ryoma.

"B-b-because…Ah, screw it!" He strode over to Ryoma and smashed his lips against Ryoma's. Pakura immediately closed her eyes, and covered her ears. She so does NOT want to see a kissing scene. In movies, she also did this when she foresees a kissing scene. In fact, romance makes her sick. (I'll reveal the reason later in the story) Ryoma struggled for a moment before giving in. Atobe's a good kisser, he'll have to admit. That's why when his tongue swiped the lower lip; Ryoma did not hesitate before allowing Atobe to gain entrance. Atobe had never tasted anything sweeter in his life. Ryoma's mouth tasted of grapes (from Ponta of course.) He wished he will never let go. His tongue cannot cover all that intoxicating taste, his mouth cannot consume more. They eventually separate, in much need of air. "Now will you tell me?" said Atobe.

"But this is not something I can freely share. And you can remove your hands now, Caru." Pakura removed her hands and opened her eyes. Pakura said, "Just tell him Ryoma. He didn't kiss you for nothing you know." Ryoma looked at his mentor and to Atobe. Something in his eyes told him he could trust him. Ryoma took a deep breath, and told Atobe the story. As he talked, Atobe's eyes got narrower, and his scowl became more pronounced. He occasionally looked at Pakura to detect if Ryoma was lying, and by the solemn look, he knew Ryoma wasn't lying. After he finished his story, Atobe suddenly spat out, "How could they do this to you? They betrayed you and then they lied? They deserved to be executed!" Pakura jumped at the sharpness of his tone.

"Chill, Atobe. Do you know the phrase, 'Everything comes with a price' they will get their retribution and…"

"And you'll make sure of it." Pakura finished his sentence. Really, they knew each other so well; they can finish each other's sentence even without Synchro.

"You read my mind again, Caru." said Ryoma. "Anyway, so as to let you know, Keigo, I'll make sure Seigaku pays for what they did, and don't you dare stop me!"

"Alright, alright. So….since you called me Keigo, are we officially lovers?" Pakura made to cover her ears again, but Ryoma glared at her, making her put down her hands. "Well...I didn't say no, did I?" he smirked. Atobe leaned in to kiss him, but Pakura suddenly appeared between them, pushing them apart. "Save those steamy moments when I am not in, ok? And Atobe, may I have a word with you?" she smiled sweetly. Atobe nodded. She pulled him to a corner, out of Ryoma's earshot. "Do you really love him?" said Pakura.

"You are not convinced, are you?"

"No. I hope you wouldn't break his heart, or I'll break your face!"

"Alright, I won't. But what should I do to make you trust me, Caru?"

"Convince me." said Pakura. She looked at the clock. "It's nearly 8, we'd better get home." she said. "Would you like a lift, Caru?" said Atobe.

"That'll be great, thank you. Ryoma, we're going home, let's go!" said Pakura.

Atobe took Ryoma and Pakura home, using his limousine. Once they arrived at Ryoma's house, Pakura went to retrieve their belongings from the trunk. "Thanks for the ride, Keigo." said Ryoma. Making sure Pakura is looking, he gave a long, lingering kiss on Atobe's lips. Pakura nearly dropped her stuff in shock. "Bye, Keigo!" said Ryoma, inwardly sniggering at Pakura's slightly shocked expression. He liked making fun of Pakura's too innocent demeanor. She may be the most sadistic mentor in history (I'll tell you how she mentored Ryoma later), but she has such a pathetic weakness. Ryoma secretly laughed to himself, glad that he was one of the few that knew about it. Pakura glared at him. "I hope you're happy corrupting my mind." She huffed.

"Oh, Pakura-sensei, that's not tainting your mind at all. In fact, it's only the beginning." Ryoma cackled.

"Yeah, whatever." said Pakura. "Let's go back to your house." She carried the luggage with one hand and knocked on the door with the other hand. The door opened and a man with an unshaven beard, dressed in monk's robes and carrying a porn magazine answered the door. Pakura instinctively snatched the magazine, and tossed it a good distance away. "Paku-chan! I haven't even finished reading my magazines!" Nanjiroh whined.

"I'll thank you not to read those in front of me. I already saw a good show tonight." Pakura mumbled, glaring at the smirking Ryoma. "Seishounen, what did she see?"

Ryoma turned to his father and said, "Oh, nothing." He followed Pakura to the stairs. 'Tainting her innocence is going to be fun.'

**CR: Of course, there is a reason behind her weaknesses. She also had a few more, which I would reveal in the story. I'm sorry I am not good at writing kissing scenes…just pretend I never updated, if you don't like it *covers face***


	5. Encounter at the mall

**CR: Hello everyone! From today onwards I will be doing assignments from my teachers and I don't know how often I can upload my stories. I will try my best to update as soon as I can (provided if I get a lot of reviews). Actually, to be frank, I can upload every day, but I just choose not to because I didn't get enough reviews! If the number of reviews improves, I will update faster of course, because they encourage me to write more. Anyway, on with the story!**

"Oyaji, Kaa-san, I'm going to the Tokyo Mall with Pakura to meet Keigo!" Ryoma announced. "Alright, be careful Ryoma. Paku-chan, do take care of him!" said Rinko. Pakura, who was reading a book nearby, said, "Hey! You're going on a date! Why do you have to drag me in?" Ryoma stuck out his tongue, and said, "Well, you never liked going out, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to get some color on your skin!" Pakura glared at him. "Fine, but we'll work out a system when we meet Atobe." She changed into a dark blue long panta and simple green pants, grabbed her handbag, bundled up her hair and wore her cap. She looked more like a boy now. She went and meet Ryoma at the door. They took a bus to the Tokyo Mall, and met Atobe at Love Fashion store. He was wearing a purple shirt and black pants today. 'Ugh, purple again? I'm so tired looking at that color.' thought Pakura. When Atobe saw Pakura, he opened his mouth, about to say something but she cut him off by saying, "Ryoma dragged me here. Anyway, let's work it out. We'll separate from here. You and Ryoma will go on your date together, and I will do my own shopping. We'll meet for lunch at Pique Nique at 2.30p.m, so we have 5 and half hours to ourselves, is that alright?" Ryoma and Atobe nodded. "Right, so enjoy your date, I'll be doing some shopping now!" With that, she left. Ryoma and Atobe looked at each other. "Well, let's go." said Atobe, taking Ryoma's hand and walking away.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of blue eyes was watching them. The person took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hoi, hoi! Kikumaru here! Who's this?"

"Eiji, I saw Echizen and Atobe at the mall today. Could you call the others to meet at Tokyo Mall now?"

"Nya? Fuji, you saw Echizen? In Japan? I thought he was in America!"

"No, I definitely saw him right here. Call the others, ok? I'm going to follow them."

"Alright." Fuji hung up.

Half an hour later, the rest of the regulars gathered. "Eiji-senpai, what's this about Echizen being here in Japan?" said Momoshiro.

"I don't know. Fuji called me, and he said he saw Echizen right here!"

"Whatever. Could you call Fuji again and ask him where he is now?"

"Alright." He dialed Fuji's number. When he answered, Kikumaru asked, "Fuji, where are you?"

"I'm at the sports equipment store next to Simply Pretty." said Fuji. "At the fifth floor."

Meanwhile, Ryoma was deciding what grip tape he should buy and Atobe was deciding on a new pair of tennis shoes. "Ryoma, which pair do you think look good on Ore-sama?" he held up a purple shoe and a black and red shoe. Ryoma thought for a moment, and said, "The black and red one. Really, Keigo, you shouldn't ask for my opinion. You are better at fashion than I am."

"But if my boyfriend thinks it looks good on Ore-sama, then Ore-sama shall buy it." Ryoma looked down on the grip tape he is holding, smiling slightly. Meanwhile, outside the sports equipment store, the regulars have gathered to meet Fuji. "Hey, you're right, that's Echizen with Atobe!" said Oishi. Eiji peeked in and said, "Nya, that's really Echizen!" The regulars were discussing why Echizen would be here.

"He's probably here for revenge." said Inui, pushing up his glasses. However, one person had heard their conversation. Pakura, who was purchasing ribbon clips, headbands, necklaces and rings near the entrance, stiffened. So Ryoma's just next door. This couldn't be good. She lowered her cap and continued buying her stuff, while straining her ears for more information. "Yes, we'll try to keep our lie up and it wouldn't be difficult since most of them believe us. Also, the training camp is coming up at the Training Center, so it'll be easy as we can just tell them Echizen is coming to steal more moves from us." Pakura was almost certain that person is the captain of the team. Momoshiro said, "Well, that's one less worry, then." He stepped backwards, and accidentally stepped on Pakura's shoes. Pakura, surprised, spilled her purchases to the floor. She stooped down and picked it up, and Momoshiro helped her, saying, "I'm so sorry, little boy." Pakura twitched. Little? She's like 168cm tall, and he dared to call her little? "Which part of me looks like a little boy to you?" she said coldly and dangerously. "I am 17, am going to be 18, for your information." Momoshiro paled. "I'm sorry!" he screamed. "Please forgive me!" Pakura sighed and relented. "Alright, alright." She took a secret glance at the store. Ryoma is purchasing grip tape. If only she could draw the attention away from Ryoma….too late. Ryoma is coming out of the store, with Atobe. Pakura groaned. She put a hand behind her back and made a signal. Ryoma looked at her hand sign, and saw his betrayers. He whispered to Atobe, and they quickly evacuated the place. Thank god, the regulars were still watching her and Momoshiro pick up her purchases. Once done, she bowed to them. "Thank you for helping me. Let's meet again sometime." The regulars smiled and waved at her as she left. 'Mission accomplished.' Pakura thought.

Meanwhile, Atobe and Ryoma were at the escalator heading to the third floor. "What's going on? How did Seigaku know about you being in this mall?" said Atobe.

"I don't know, Keigo, but thank God Caru had their attention at that time and warned us to run for now, or else we'll be dead and probably humiliated. I don't really want to confront them now, it's too early." 'I'll wait until the training' he thought. 'Then I'll strike.' They reached a sports clothing store. 'Hmm, I could do with a new pair of shorts.' He went in, followed by Atobe.

To Pakura…..

Pakura sighed in relief, as she went in to Popular. 'Well, I could do with a new pen or a new novel.' she went in the bookstore.

Back to our couple….

"Hmmm….black seemed to be a nice color." said Ryoma. He reached out for a pair of black shorts in the rack but Atobe slapped his hand. "What was that for, Keigo?" said Ryoma. Atobe looked at him, and said, "You have too many black shorts already." Ryoma widened his eyes. "How did you…." Then it dawned on him. Atobe must've looked through his drawers while he was at the toilet when he invited Atobe over to introduce him to his parents. They liked Atobe, though they thought he was a bit egoistic. Well, if Atobe made their son happy, may as well approve of him, right? (Although Nanjiroh whined at not being able to see cute girls in his house again.) Atobe took a pair of shorts from the rack. "Why not try this color?" Ryoma looked at the color of the pants, and immediately said, "Yadda! It'll look stupid on me!"

"No, it won't, brat! Dark purple will look great on you!"

"Look great on you, but not on me!"

"It will look good, trust me!"

"No, it won't!"

"Yes it will!"

"No, it won't!"

"Yes it will!"

"No it won't!"

"Yes it will!"

Meanwhile with the regulars…

"Oh no! We've lost them!" said Fuji.

"What do mean, by lost them, Fuji?" said Tezuka.

"They're no longer in the sports equipment store!" said Fuji. The regulars scanned the store, and sure enough, neither Atobe nor Ryoma was inside. "They must've gone while we helped the boy pick up his purchases!" said Momoshiro.

"Should we find them?" said Oishi. The regulars looked at each other. Since this is a big mall, it will be very hard to find them, and they will easily get lost too. They'll have to split up, if they want to find them.

"Alright. Let's split up. So here's the plan….." said Tezuka.


	6. The Power of clothing and makeup

**CR: Er…..how do I say this? Well, the number of reviews did improve a little, but I'm sure there's still room for improvement! I hope to have more reviews when I post the next chapter, heehee :D. Thanks for all your reviews BTW. And do look out for my new story, You've Changed, Echizen. While you are reading my new story, do help me decide on the pairings as well. I will really appreciate it :D**

Since there are 8 floors in the Tokyo Mall (but it takes approximately half an hour to walk from one end to the other), each regular will search one whole floor. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you spot your target, you can immediately alert the others, but it's also easy to miss your target. So anyway, the regulars split up, their phones at the ready to alert the others should they spot the couple. Meanwhile, Ryoma and Atobe were still arguing on the dark purple pants Atobe just picked out. "Argh, I give up! Let's call Caru and ask her for her opinion." Atobe finally cried. Ryoma perked up. "Good idea." So he took out his cellphone, and dialed Pakura's number. Pakura was purchasing 5 novels, notebooks and a few sets of pens in different colors when the phone rang. She fumbled for her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" she said, handing her money to the cashier. Sometimes, it's great being the ITM champion. You get to have buckets of money and can change the money to any country you like.

"Hey Caru." said Ryoma.

"Ryoma, what do you want?" said Pakura.

"Well, I would like your opinion on something. Could you come to the sports clothing store on the third floor?"

"Sure." said Pakura. She received her change and walked out of Popular. As she was on her way to the escalator, she walked past Momo, who was talking on the phone. "No, Tezuka-buchou, I haven't found Echizen. Yes, I'll look for him as soon as possible. Bye!" with that, he hung up and hurried past Pakura without giving her a glance. 'Oh no' she thought. She quickly ran to the third floor to meet Atobe and Ryoma. "There you are, Caru. What do you think of this shorts." said Atobe, holding up the dark purple shorts. She quickly grabbed the shorts and put it back on the rack. "What are you doing?" said Atobe. Pakura's head whipped from side to side, and turned to them. "Never mind the shorts for now. We'll have to go to the department store now. The Seigaku regulars are looking for you, Ryoma." Ryoma widened his eyes, and said. "Ok, I know we have to get out of here. But why the department store?" Pakura smiled. "You'll see. I have a plan…."

At the department store….

Pakura dragged Ryoma and Atobe to the girls department and to the racks where they displayed all the dresses. "You'll need a disguise." said Pakura.

"I know, but why can't I have a boy disguise like Atobe?"

"Because it'll be too obvious. Don't worry, it won't be a waste, since we're about the same size, and I can wear the dress after we get out of this mall." said Pakura. She picked a pretty pink dress from the rack, and pushed Ryoma into the changing room. "Now quit complaining and get in the changing room. Don't tear out the price tag yet" A few minutes later, Ryoma emerged, wearing the pink dress. He looked very pretty….for a guy. Pakura then dragged him to the wigs department, and selected one with long black hair. "I hate this." Ryoma muttered, as Pakura made the wig stay by using the hairpins she bought from Simply Pretty. While she was fixing the pins, she said, "Atobe, go get some clothes and a wig and change too. Don't get purple, because The Seigaku regulars may recognize you, because I am sure they know you like wearing purple." Later, Atobe emerged wearing a black shirt and pants. Pakura also helped him secure his brown haired wig. She then dragged Ryoma to the make-up department and used some of the samples to give him a makeover. However, this was especially hard, because what she was never good at was at makeovers as when she was younger, while other girls her age were concerned about their looks and which dress, shoes or makeup will look best for them and how to stay thin, Pakura never wanted for anything, not for looks, not for her body shape. She merely buried herself in her books, studied healing and medicine and trained herself to handle weapons and yet, she was one of the best looking girls in New Day Academy and she has a nice body shape. She frowned, as she tried to put eye shadow on Ryoma's eyes. By the time she was done, well, it wasn't exactly neat, but it was passable. Atobe paid for the disguises, and they went out of the store.

When they walked out, they walked past a boy with brown hair and blue eyes (which Pakura learned from Atobe that his name is Fuji Syusuke). Fuji brushed past them without even looking at them. 'Good, so it must mean that our disguise has worked.' thought Atobe. Pakura checked her watch. "Hmm, we still have an hour left to kill before we go for lunch. Do you still want to separate and shop, or we have lunch first?" Ryoma and Atobe looked at each other, before saying, "We'll have lunch now." Pakura nodded, and took them to Pique Nique, where they enjoyed their lunch there. They completely forgot about the Seigaku regulars looking for them until…..

"No, Tezuka, I didn't find them. Do you think they could've left?" The voice was just behind Ryoma and Atobe. They turned, and found Oishi talking on the phone. Atobe put a finger to his lips and the other two nodded. They continued their meals in silence. While waiting for the dessert, Pakura whispered, "I got to go to the washroom for a while. I'll be right back." The boys nodded as Pakura made her way out. Unfortunately, she bumped into Oishi. "Hey, you're the boy that we met outside Simply Pretty!" Pakura nodded. "Yes. I didn't expect to see you again. Where're your teammates?" Oishi rubbed the back of his head. "Well, er…they are looking for someone."

Pakura smiled. "Really, who is it?"

"Well, it's confidential…."

"Come on, you can tell me." said Pakura.

Oishi looked at the boy. He couldn't see his eyes, but something about that soft smile made him sure he could trust the boy. "Well, we're looking for someone called Echizen Ryoma."

"Oh, that boy! But why would you be looking for him?"

"Well, we wanted to question him over a few…things."

"I see. If this helps, I saw him at the 8th floor at the Times bookstore." The Times bookstore was way at the other end of the mall and a complete contrast to the first floor where Oishi is currently at, and Pakura figured it would take him at least 2 hours to get there. "Really? Thanks!" said Oishi, and he immediately took off. Pakura laughed softly. "Sucker." She muttered under her breath. Heck, the REAL Echizen Ryoma is just 3 meters away from her. She laughed again, and went into the bathroom. After she did her business, she rejoined Ryoma and Atobe back in the restaurant just in time for the desserts.

"Caru, what happened? Ore-sama saw you talking to Oishi just now." said Atobe, spooning chocolate ice cream in his mouth. Pakura took a sip of her ice cream float, and said, "Oh, he recognized me as the boy who they met outside the Simply Pretty store. I gave him a complete wrong direction to Ryoma's whereabouts." She shrugged, and took another sip of her milkshake. "It's really clever of you to come up with a plan like that." said Atobe. "Saved our lives."

"Well, duh." said Ryoma. 'If she wasn't clever, she wouldn't be the strategist of the Chess Pieces.' Pakura frowned. "But I don't think I did well for the makeover, though. I never wore makeup once in my life, let alone help someone wear it." She nodded to Ryoma.

Atobe widened his eyes. "No way! If that's true, how come you look like a striking beauty?"

Pakura shrugged. "God's gift, I guess. Anyway, I don't care how I look, because I believe beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder."

Meanwhile with the Seigaku regulars…

"What? You said the boy saw him at the Times bookstore?" said Momoshiro.

"Yes, that's what he said. Let's go search the Times bookstore." They went in the bookstore to search for them. (Haha, but we all know that the 'boy' is lying right?)

Back to the trio….

The three paid the bill. Atobe said, "Alright, what should we do now?"

Pakura smiled. "Why don't we go to your house?"

"Good idea, Caru." said Ryoma, grinning. "On the way, I can wash off the makeup and change back into my old clothes." Atobe nodded. "Alright. Ore-sama will call the chauf-"

"No!" said Pakura. "If you call your driver to pick you up, they will recognize you!" They looked at her. "Sorry, but that's what I think." She said sheepishly. "Caru's right. Limos aren't very common in the road. And everyone knows you ride a limo everywhere. Let's take the train instead." said Ryoma. They took the train to Atobe's house, with Atobe grousing about squeezing with peasants, and Pakura was forced to cover his mouth. "Save it for later." She muttered. Once they reached Atobe's house, Pakura had to wash her hands because it was coated with Atobe's saliva. Ryoma washed off the makeup Pakura hastily placed on his face and changed back into his own clothes. Ryoma sat down, accepted a cup of tea from one of Atobe's butler, and said, "Caru, will you…sing?" Pakura nearly dropped her tea in shock. Sing? Pakura stuttered, "Well, I…" she hasn't sang much ever since the incident that made her pure and made her hate romance…which involved one boy.

"You haven't sung since you were 14." Ryoma remarked. 'How did he even remember?' Pakura thought. But since it's for her protégé, and she wanted him to be happy, she cleared her throat, and sang the first song that came up to her mind.

"Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where the dead man called out for his love to flee

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree'

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be, if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."

By the time she finished the last verse, she heard clapping from the maids, the butlers, and even Atobe and Ryoma clapped and cheered. However, when she was singing, she was thinking about her past, and how she knew that being tortured and sporting a broken heart is a much worse fate than death.

That day, she wished she had died in the ITM instead.

Omake (the Seigaku regulars)

"Really, they are not in the Times bookstore!" Eiji fumed. "Are you sure they are in there, Oishi?"

"Yes, that's what the boy told me." He sighed in exasperation.

"Maybe Echizen left before the boy, who knows?" said Fuji. "Right, Tezuka?" the captain nodded, and said, "Possible."

"I still think they are somewhere in the shopping mall." said Momo.

"Wow, good observation, Sherlock." said Kaidoh.

"Enough, minna! Let's just continue looking for them!" said Tezuka, walking away, followed by the regulars, hoping to find the couple soon.

**A/N: I think I rushed it a bit, but I only had two hours to type this chapter and I also had other things to do in the computer. Well, do review! :D**


	7. I locked Seigaku out of the elevator! :D

**CR: My family is looking at me like I'm crazy this morning, because just now, I was viewing Do you know facts, and I found out IPhone was the second bestselling item- the first being Rubik's cube. That was the last thing I expected, and I was shouting, "WHAT?" my family was like, "Why are you shouting so early in the morning?" Opps…I forgot I'm not alone in the house. Anyway, back to the story. I only got 1 hour -.- **

The alarm clock rang. A hand reached out, and sleepily fumbled for the alarm clock. The hand pressed the snooze button and went back to sleep. The person's rest was short lived however, because the door burst open and his mentor rushed in, shaking him through the blankets. "Wake up! Ryoma! Today's our first day of the training camp! You've got to WAKE UP!" she shouted the last word and forcefully yanked the blanket off the boy. The boy merely groaned and waved a hand. Pakura sighed. Time for drastic measures. "Karupin, get him." She said to the Himalayan cat. The said cat pounced on its sleeping owner and started scratching at her owner. "Ouch! Karupin! Get off!" said Ryoma, sitting up and pushing the cat off him. He glared at Pakura. "Thanks a lot, Paku." Pakura merely smiled an angelic smile, not unlike Fuji's, and waved cheerily. "The other Chess Piece members will be arriving tomorrow night. It's best if we get there first, so we can get some training done before they come." said Pakura. "I've packed your tennis equipment, and since the Training Center does not specialize in tennis only, I packed my weapons and medical stuff. Maybe they will give lessons on medical things like the one in America." Ryoma said, "Wait. I need to prepare myself first." said Ryoma. Pakura said, "Alright, I'll give you half an hour."

Half an hour later, they were ready. Ryoma had his equipment and some other items (which I'll reveal later) packed, while Pakura had her medical equipment, her weapons and her pens, novels, and empty notebooks packed. "Alright, let's go." said Ryoma. "Bye, Oyaji, kaa-san!" said Ryoma. "Bye, Nanjiroh-san, Rinko-san. Thank you for your hospitality." Rinko smiled. "Oh, it's nothing, dear." She said, kissing both of them on the cheek. "Have fun, guys!" they smiled, and nodded, Pakura lowering her cap. Once they were out, Pakura checked the map, and said, "I think we can take the public bus all the way to Tokyo stop, and walk the rest of the way." Ryoma nodded. "Right, let's go." When they were walking along a quiet roadside, however, a bus stopped next to them. It was huge, and it is colored in purple. The door opened, and two hands reached out, and pulled them in. "What the?" said Ryoma, as one of the hands dragged him all the way to a seat. Pakura was literally shoved on to the seat behind Ryoma. "What the hell? Is this a kidnap?" said Pakura, rubbing her arm.

"No it isn't. Ore-sama is merely offering you two a ride. Be awed by my generosity." Both mentor and protégé sighed. Why couldn't Atobe offer it nicely, instead of just pulling them on board without warning? What's more, there were whispers erupting around them, most of them on Ryoma. Pakura looked around nervously. There were two boys behind her, in a whispered discussion. One was sleeping away, another big sized guy was staring into space, and the rest were chatting away animatedly.

"I recognize one of the boys that Atobe pulled on board with us, but who's the other one?" the red head boy whispered.

"I don't know, Gakuto. He doesn't seem to be around here." said the blue haired boy.

"I don't see why Atobe-buchou will pull that traitor on board. And look, they are being lovey-dovey towards each other." Said the boy named Gakuto. Pakura is itching to grab her bow and arrow from her case, and shoot one arrow in his face. She turned to Ryoma, but the said boy is engaged in public affection with Atobe. 'Oh my God, help me' Pakura thought, closing her eyes. 'What have I done to deserve this?' While still closing her eyes, she fumbled for her IPhone and listened to music. Meanwhile in front of her, Ryoma was leaning on Atobe's shoulder. "Ne, Keigo, how did you know which way Caru and I were going?" Atobe smiled, and said, "Ore-sama has his way. You see, judging by the location of your house, I deduced you needed to get to the nearest bus stop, and there is a distance you both will need to walk. So I suggested to the driver to take that route, and sure enough, I found you both walking. Be awed by Ore-sama's intelligence." Ryoma whispered, "Wow." Before falling asleep on Atobe's shoulder. Atobe took off his regulars' jacket, and covered Ryoma so that he would be warm.

An hour later, the bus jerked forward once, indicating that they arrived at the Training Center already. The other regulars stood up and stepped down the bus. Pakura looked out the window, and saw, with a dread, the other tennis teams were waiting. She looked at Atobe and saw the same worry mirroring in his face. He looked at her weapons case and gave a single nod. Pakura took out her bow and arrows, slung the sheath of arrows over her shoulder and held her bow in her hand while her weapons case in the other (she made the person who helped them with their luggage carry the rest of the stuff. She nodded to Atobe, who woke Ryoma up, and said to him gently, "We're here, Ryoma." The three of them stepped out of the bus.

The reaction was instantaneous.

"No way! The traitor is with Hyotei?" Momoshiro gasped. Pakura took out one of her arrows. Thank god, their attention is on Ryoma they didn't notice her.

"I can't believe you, Atobe. Associating with the traitor." said Fuji. Paukra loaded her bow.

"And what's more, how could you let him ride in the bus!" shouted Eiji. Pakura aimed her arrow.

"Seriously?" shouted Dan. Pakura pulled her arrow backwards.

Ryoma smirked. "Call me a traitor, but I'm sure you can't beat me!"

Momoshiro ran towards him, his fist raised, and shouted, "How dare you!" Pakura released her arrow. It punctured Momo's left arm. Unfortunately, he played with his right, but it's enough to make him fall to his knees and pull the arrow out, taking in the severity of the wound. All of them turned to the archer. The Seigaku regulars gasped. "It's the boy we met at the mall!" Oishi gasped. "I didn't know you are with Ryoma!" his eyes reflected betrayal. Pakura shrugged. "You never asked." She said, as she walked up to the Head Coach, who was emerging from the Training Center. She whispered something to the Coach. The Coach said, "Ah, we've been waiting for you." He handed two card keys to Pakura. Pakura threw one towards Ryoma, and he caught it perfectly. "Let's go, Ryoma." said Pakura. Ryoma nodded and followed her. Momo got up, and said, "Hey! I'm not done with you both!" he aimed a kick, but Pakura blocked it with her bow. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the bow is made of hard steel, so Momo's leg got injured. Pakura took back the arrow on the ground, placed it in her sheath, and went into the Training Center rooms, ignoring the stares.

Attached to the Training Center itself is a tower designed exclusively for the players. Each team gets an entire floor. Ryoma's team got the twelfth floor. The walls of the elevator are made of crystal so that you can watch the people on the ground shrink to ants as you shoot up into the air. Like the America's Training Center, everything is fancy, and it was furnished in the same way as the America's Training Center. Pakura went to her assigned room. First thing she noticed, everything was pink. Pink walls, pink carpet, pink curtains, pink furniture. There are pink roses everywhere and fresh floral arrangements. The carpet was scattered with cut out gold leaves, and there are portraits that featured models in latest fashions. Also, her penthouse has so many automatic gadgets that she's sure she won't have time to press every single button. Her shower alone has a panel with more than a hundred options she can choose regulating water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils and massaging sponges. If she stepped out on the mat after shower, heaters will come on that blow dry her body. She programmed the closet for an outfit to her taste, and dressed in a black pants and a dark blue shirt. She went out to meet Ryoma for lunch and he was wearing a simple black shirt and pants. "Wow, Paku, we dress almost exactly the same." he teased. Pakura frowned. Just then, the elevator dinged, and Atobe stepped out, Ryoma ran over to hug him. "Glad that you are joining us, Atobe." said Pakura. This afternoon, they served cream of mushroom soup, bitter greens the size of peas, rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper, noodles in a green sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes. The servers, young people dressed in white tunics, moved to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full.

Pakura doesn't like the mushroom soup, the bitter greens, and the cheese with sweet blue grapes. She only ate the beef and the noodles. She listened rather than talked. "So, it's the beginning of the revenge, huh." said Atobe, sipping his wine.

"Yeah. I will make sure they regret it by the end of the camp." said Ryoma. "They'll regret messing with me...after all, I do have a secret weapon."

"Really? What is it? Tell me, Ryoma!" said Atobe.

"Not yet, Keigo, not yet…it's a secret."

"Does it happen to be something got to do with the previous ITM champions coming to train with us tomorrow?"

"Probably." Ryoma said in a sing-song voice, eating his cheese with sweet blue grapes. 'Also, with my mentor's tutelage, victory is mine.'

Pakura, however, stayed silent for throughout the meal. After lunch, she went somewhere with her case of knives, probably going to train in knife throwing, though Ryoma couldn't see why because he saw her throw in training and she never missed. Ryoma took his tennis bag and said, "Let's go, Keigo." Atobe smiled, and took Ryoma to the elevator and pressed the "9" button. The elevator descended to the 9th floor and Atobe went to take his tennis bag. As the lift descended again after Atobe took his bag, he asked, "So, Ryoma, a one set match?"

Ryoma smiled. "Ok."

Atobe said, "It's despicable how Seigaku betrayed you and then they lied. You sure you have a way to counter them?"

Ryoma nodded. "I am sure." Just then, the elevator stopped at floor 6. "Wow, taboo much?" said Atobe. Ryoma smirked. "I got an idea. Hold down this lock button." When Pakura first showed him around the Training Center, she said there is always a lock button so that you won't need to ride the elevator with the people you hate, and no one can get in. Perfect for pranks, she said once. Atobe held it down. They heard voices and scuffling from the other side of the door. "What the hell?" said Momoshiro. "Momo, what's wrong?" said Oishi.

"The elevator won't open!" said Momo.

"Let me try, baka." said Kaidoh

"What did you say, Mamushi?"

"You wanna fight?"

"Don't want to waste my time hitting you. Anyway, it's unfair because you have a bruise on your leg and an arrow wound in your left arm."

"Hey! It was that boy's fault I was like this OK?"

Atobe and Ryoma snickered. "Hey! Who's in there?" said Kikumaru.

"It's Ore-sama and his boyfriend. Sorry, you peasants are not cool enough to ride in the elevator with us!"

"Hey! The other elevator isn't working!" Oishi shouted. "Quit playing and let us in already, Atobe!" Actually, it is working. But however, as part of the prank, the other elevator came up to the 12th floor, and Ryoma pressed the lock button fourteen times, so it won't be going down for the whole day.

"I don't think I want to ride with them anyway." said Fuji.

"So, tell me, wise guy, how do we get down then? There are no stairs!" said Oishi.

"Bye!" They called as the elevator shot down. There were lots of screaming, fuming, and arguing, and the couple laughed even harder. "That was a nice one, Ryoma!" Atobe laughed, clutching to a stitch. "Let's make them wait a little longer." Ryoma pressed the lock button 7 times. "Now the elevator won't go up for 5 hours!" Atobe burst out laughing again. "You really have a thing for this."

"Not really, Keigo. Two common traits among all of us are we are pranksters and we are all stunt performers." (By "they" he meant the 8 ITM champions) They walked to the adjoining Training Center, took the elevator and pressed the 17th floor. The doors open to reveal 8 magnificent courts, target boards stashed in one side, fresh new green balls, and machines that Ryoma can lift but shoots balls up to 250km/hr. There is also a screen at the very top of the wall, and also machines to record the momentum, speed and strength of the ball when it is being hit. It's very similar to the America's Training Center.

"One set match, I'll serve." said Atobe, as he threw up a ball, and served.

1 and a half hour later…

"Game, to Echizen Ryoma...6-3!" Atobe announced, panting. "Hey, are you sure you are not a pro? You beat me a bit too easily already!"

"Mada mada dane, Monkey King. Maybe you've gotten soft?" said Ryoma, raising and eyebrow cockily.

"Brat!" said Atobe, and he tackled a surprised Ryoma to the ground. He hooked a finger under Ryoma's chin, and kissed him passionately. Ryoma returned the kiss in an ardent fervor. "That's your punishment for calling me Monkey King." said Atobe, breaking the kiss. However, Ryoma did not mind, as he enjoyed it very much.

**CR: So much work, so little time. I only had a measly hour. Got to go, mum is making me clear out my drawers (which is so going to take hours)**


	8. We dump ice cream on Tezuka's head!

**CR: Hello, everyone, I only have an hour, so I'll make this chapter quick and nice. From now on, I'll add short extras at the end of each chapter that may or may not be related to the story. It can be humor, angst, secrets, or information about the characters in the story or even the organization the Chess Pieces. Do review and tell me what you think of the short extra (omake) and tell me if I should make more. **

**Warning: Bit of OOC**

"We've got to make sure Echizen learns his lesson that playing pranks is not funny." said Momoshiro. They finally got the elevator to stop at their floor the next morning during breakfast, and the Seigaku regulars were fuming because they didn't get to train during that free afternoon. They were eating lunch at their floor, and they were discussing how to get revenge. "But doing it on Echizen is hard." said Oishi. "Why don't we target the other boy instead? He seems to be close to Echizen." The others nodded. "Good idea. What should we do?" Momoshiro thought about the bow the boy used to shoot him the other day. "I know! We should steal his bow!" The others nodded. "Great idea, Momo! So when should we steal it?" Fuji, who was chewing his bread, said, "I think I know when we should steal his bow…." He smiled an angelic smile, one that means that someone is going to get it very soon.

Meanwhile, Pakura was shooting away at targets, enlisting Ryoma and Atobe's help. They launched silly fake birds high up in the air for her to shoot. When she shot down six birds in a row, Ryoma and Atobe applauded. "As expected of you, Caru." said Ryoma. Pakura smiled. "Thank you, Ryoma." She shot the birds for another half an hour before she said, "I'm going to need the bathroom for a while. Could you take care of my bow for me?" Ryoma and Atobe nodded and she left. I don't know if you have ever been to the ladies room at the Training Center, but it's totally the nicest one in Tokyo. It's all pink, and there are mirrors and little couches everywhere. The floor was also covered with pink carpeting. Pakura went into one of the stalls, which besides a toilet, has its own private sink with a huge mirror and a dressing table with a little stool that has tassels hanging off it. She did her business and the toilet automatically flushed, which still scared her till today. Meanwhile, Ryoma has taken a picture of Atobe tripping on a silly fake bird, laughing. Atobe chased him to delete the photo, and they ran out of the archery gym, forgetting about Pakura's bow. Unbeknownst to them, the Seigaku regulars have been waiting for this moment, and Fuji crept out of his hiding place. "See, I told you they will leave sooner or later." said Fuji. "That's quite clever of you, Fuji." said Tezuka. "Momo. Go get the boy's bow."

"Yes, Captain." said Momo. He ran to the case which contained Pakura's bow, closed his fingers around the handle, and lifted it. Surprisingly, he couldn't lift it. It was too heavy. "What's wrong, Momo?" said Fuji. "I…can't...seem…to...LIFT IT!" he grunted. Fuji rushed over to help, and he couldn't lift the suitcase either. The others helped, and of course, they can't lift it, not even Tezuka. Just then, they heard footsteps. The Seigaku regulars rushed back to their hiding place. The door opened and Pakura appeared,fuming, followed by Ryoma and Atobe, repeatedly apologizing. "I told you to take care of my bow, DIDN'T I?" she shouted. "S-s-sorry!" they said in unison. Pakura scanned the gym, and found her bow. She sighed. "Never mind. My bow is still here anyway." The regulars watched as she lifted her bow easily, and she wielded it as easily as a painter would his brush. The question that bugged them was how did he wield that bow easily when they can't even lift it? After all, the boy is less muscular than Tezuka and was half a head shorter than him. Also, physical wise, he doesn't seem like a threat. They were so deep in their thoughts they didn't notice an arrow flying towards their direction. Startled, they look up, only to find three pairs of eyes looking at them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Seigaku regulars." said Atobe.

"So it seems." said the boy.

"What are you guys doing here?" said Ryoma.

Momo stood up. "Why can't we be here?"

"Funny, you don't strike me as the type to shoot arrows." said Ryoma. "All you did was to do that Dunk Smash and Jack Knife move back in junior high." Momo made a move to punch them but Tezuka stopped him. "Stop it Momoshiro, we don't want to get in trouble."

"Stop it, Momoshiro, we don't want to get in trouble." Pakura mimicked his sentence in a mocking tone. "Wise move, Tezuka. As captain, I am sure you will protect all your teammates. However, you can't even lift my bow, so how are you going to protect them?" Ryoma and Atobe started laughing at that. The Seigaku regulars widened their eyes. How did he know about the attempt on her bow? Then it dawned on them. He was watching them steal her bow, but made no move. "Let's go, Ryoma, Atobe. It's dinner time anyway." With that, they left for their Training Center rooms elevators, and pressed the twelve button.

Tonight, they had a thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and chocolate cake. Pakura ate everything this time, and listened to Ryoma's elevator prank, and they all laughed, including their servers. After dinner and dessert, Pakura wanted to try some ice cream, so she ordered a big bucket of vanilla ice cream and simply scoop it into her mouth with spoons, not bothering to use a bowl.

"Need help finishing that off?" said Ryoma. He and Atobe appeared behind Pakura, holding hands. Pakura shook her head. "Nah, I was just thinking if I can't finish, I want to use it as part of my revenge against Seigaku, but I don't know how."

"I know! What if we dump the rest of the ice cream right above a pedestrian's head and make them flip out?" said Atobe. Pakura stopped eating her ice cream. "Hey, good idea!"

"Look, it's Tezuka!" Atobe exclaimed, pointing down. Tezuka was at the balcony on his floor, sipping tea. "Let's do this!" Pakura grabbed the bucket of ice cream and tossed the contents over the roof and peered down to see the effect. Meanwhile, at the sixth floor balcony, Tezuka was enjoying his cup of tea, and relishing the cool night air blowing against his hair. He heard something falling and looked up. He yelped as he saw the bucket of ice cream falling on his head. Splash! The ice cream fell on his hair, dyeing it white.

Meanwhile, back at the twelfth floor, Ryoma , Pakura and Atobe were laughing away." YES! Exactly the kind of humiliation the captain of the team of betrayers deserves!" said Pakura.

"Did you see his face? He looked like a retarded old man!" said Ryoma, laughing hysterically.

"He looked even more like an old man with that hair color!" said Atobe, failing to conceal his glee.

"That was a great prank, Atobe!" said Pakura.

"Why thank you, Caru." said Atobe. "Thought I won't bet on Tezuka thinking the same thing."

Back at the sixth floor, Tezuka stormed back to the lounge to the surprise of the other regulars. "Wow, Tezuka, what happened?" said Fuji.

"I am so going to kill those 3. I bet it was them that dumped the ice cream on them."

"But you have no evidence." said Fuji. "It could be any of those three."

"Well, at least we have it narrowed down to three." said Momo. Fuji turned to him. "Wow, thanks for the point, Momo." He said sarcastically.

"Anyway, all we can do for now is to keep up with our lie." said Tezuka. "And maybe enlist some help in time." With that, he left for the showers.

Back at the twelfth floor, while Pakura was tying her shoelaces, they broke. 'Something tells me Seigaku's plotting something. I hope I will be there to save him.'

Omake (Pakura)

That night, Pakura's nightmares were bugging her again, so she wrote a poem:

**We are promised a life**

**Of riches, fame**

**And glory to our name**

**But all these cannot**

**Make things the same**

**Because we became a piece in their game**

**We are the champions**

**We've seen it all**

**The nightmares and horror**

**Still cause us all pain**

**That will eventually make us fall**

**We are the champions**

**We show our passion and secret skills **

**Because that's the only way**

**A champion survives**

**The losers never played again**

**The winners went insane**

**I thought things will go fine**

**When I had won**

**But a happy, peaceful fate**

**Was never meant to be mine**

**I am a champion**

**And to you, I confide**

**That I would rather have died**

A single teardrop smudged the last word. The person cradled her head and silently cried under the study table light.

**CR: So what do you think? Should I make more omakes like this? Do review!**


	9. Training Day 1

**CR: Whew! I know the last omake was quite sad, but I promise a humorous one this time! In time, maybe I'll reveal what happened in the ITM Pakura participated in, and how she mentored Ryoma when he was a player for the ITM. Anyway, I only have an hour, so I'll start writing now! **

**Oh, just for your info, the rooms are as follows:**

**Level 1- Higa chuu**

**Level 2- Fudomine**

**Level 3- St. Rudolph**

**Level 4- Yamabuki**

**Level 5- Shitenhouji**

**Level 6- Seigaku**

**Level 7- Rokkaku**

**Level 8- Jousei Shonan**

**Level 9- Hyotei**

**Level 10- Rikkaidai**

**Level 11- Coaches room**

**Level 12- ITM champions team.**

The next day, Ryoma woke up to the incessant knocking on his door. When he opened it, he found his mentor Pakura standing there, already dressed in training clothes. "Hello, Mr. Sleepy-head. You're going to be late if you don't get a move-on." Ryoma checked the clock, and sure enough, she was right. He quickly refreshed himself, and grabbed his training clothes. He hastily grabbed his tennis bag and a toast, and pressed for the elevator. "Coach Henry called and told me the other 6 champions will be arriving tonight. That means Tyler will be here tonight. I can't wait!" said Pakura. Ryoma nodded. "Alright." Just then, the elevator arrived, and they went in. The elevator stopped at the 10th floor, and the Rikkaidai team went in. "Hello, Echizen, long time no see." said Yukimura, smiling. Pakura and Ryoma looked at each other. "Long time no see as well, Yukimura-san." Ryoma replied acidly. Yukimura's smile widened and Marui spoke up. "You don't trust us, do you? By the tone you talk to Yukimura-buchou, you assumed we Rikkaidai players believe Seigaku."

Ryoma said nothing. They were right, of course. He didn't really trust anyone since Seigaku's betrayal, except for his mentor and the fellow champions he knew so well. "Well, doesn't matter. Anyway, they will get what they deserve eventually." Just then, the elevator stopped at the ground floor. The Rikkaidai team, Ryoma and Pakura went out and walked to the Training Center and took the elevator again to the 17th floor. Although they were on time, they were the last to arrive. The head coach, Coach Levi, explained the training schedule. "No fighting with the other players. I have set up some tennis stations to train on various fields. You all are free to do whatever you want until 12pm. Then, you will have lunch, and after that I'll pick players to screen them individually. At 4pm, I will give you your score, from 1 to 12. At 6 pm, I'll pick players to have matches against each other." He read out the skill stations. Then he blew his whistle. The training has begun. Pakura and Ryoma went to a station, where there were machines to shoot different colored balls and there are different colored targets. The objective is to hit the ball to the correct target. Of course, they did it with ease, but suddenly, the targets started moving. They realized the challenge is getting more and more difficult as the speed of the moving targets became faster. Ryoma missed a ball and it hits Momoshiro, who was at the balance station. Momoshiro stomped over to Ryoma. "Hey! What was that for?" he shouted, grabbing Ryoma's shirt. The players stopped whatever they are doing and watched the fight. "Momoshiro, I'll thank you if you let go of my shirt. And that was an accident." Momoshiro shook Ryoma, and yelled, "Liar! Now apologize!" Just then, Coach Levi approached them. Apparently, Pakura had told on Momoshiro, because he immediately went to Momoshiro and said, "I told you not to pick a fight with other players, Momoshiro."

"I did not! It was him!" Momo protested, pointing to Ryoma.

"Enough. This boy told me everything." He said, pointing to Pakura. "I am disgusted by your behavior. 70 laps around the Training Center now!" Momo gave the boy a glare, before going to do his laps. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? Continue with your training!" All the players continued training until lunch. Ryoma and Pakura tried out all the stations, and learnt a few useful skills in the process. Breakfast and dinner will be served at their floor, but at lunch, they ate at the dining room off the gymnasium. Food is arranged on carts and they serve themselves. The school teams tend to sit together. Atobe invited Ryoma and Pakura to sit with his team and they accepted. Pakura sat next to the blue haired boy while Ryoma sat next to Atobe. "Hey, what did you tell the Coach?" said Atobe. "That got Momoshiro in trouble?"

Pakura casually twirled her spoon. "I told the Coach the truth. Momoshiro is picking a fight with Ryoma. Anyway, the ball hitting Momoshiro was an accident. If I were Ryoma, I wouldn't apologize as well, I mean, he doesn't deserve one."

Atobe lowered his voice to a whisper. "By the way, does the Coach know about your actual gender?"

"Yes, but I told him to refer me as a boy for the time being." Pakura whispered. "I want to catch them by surprise."

Atobe nodded. "I see."

Just then, Coach Levi came out of the gym. "Attention players." The players looked up from their lunches. "Tonight, our guests from America are coming. All of them are previous champions of the ITM and they are the strongest 8!" Those who knew what the ITM is whispered excitedly. "Oh My God, they are really coming? I so want to play a match with them!"

"Yeah, this is the best camp ever!"

"Erm….what's the ITM?"

Inui stood up. "Well, the ITM stands for the Intensive Tenisa Matches. It happens 3 times every year in America. They pick 12 schools, and from there, they pick two tennis players, one male and one female to go to the tennis arena to play against each other for one week. Whoever wins the most matches wins. Before they go to the arena itself, they are being mentored by previous champions who go to the same school as them. Usually the champions are male, though, because the females tend to be weaker physically"

"Are there any female champions?" said Kamio.

"Not as far as I know. Also, I heard there is one champion who won the ITM even though he suffered the yips."

Ryoma face palmed. That champion was Pakura, for God's sake. And she is definitely a female. He remembered when she was bruised all over and she got up. Judging by her eyes, he knew she couldn't see. Nor could she feel the pain in her legs, as her legs were bleeding. If she could feel the pain she would have collapsed on the floor.

During lunch, they started to call them out of lunch for their private sessions with the coaches, according to alphabetical order. Atobe was one of the first, and of course, Ryoma gave him a good luck kiss on the lips. (Pakura looked away again) When it was Ryoma's turn to perform, Pakura gave him a squeeze in his hand. He left, leaving her in the dining room. After about 45 minutes, they called Pakura. (However, when they announced her name, they said Carumati Nokkela, as requested by her for the time being). Pakura stood up, and walked past the Seigaku regulars, who were glad that they finally knew the boy's name (Hahaha…but we all know what her real full name is right?) She showed the Coaches her skills at the targets, and even did some stunts while she was hitting the balls. However, when she found one coach sleeping, she got angry and she hit the ball towards him. The ball hit his head, waking him up. "Thank you for your consideration." She said sarcastically, before leaving for her room. She met Atobe and Ryoma at the 12th floor lounge. "So how was your private session?"

"Well, Ore-sama showed them his World of Ice moves at the station where they test your power. They are awed by my skills."

"I threw the racquet at the Coaches." muttered Ryoma.

"You what?" said Pakura.

"I was showing them I can hit balls while trying to jump from one gauntlet to the other. However, when I missed one ball, and I hit the next one, I realized they were not paying attention. So I threw the racquet at them. The racquet bounced and I caught it. How about you?"

"I served a ball at one of the coaches. He was sleeping for God's sake!" Pakura fumed.

"You two! Ore-sama can't believe you two don't have manners! Oh, how did I love you in the first place?" he groaned, as the two champions laughed and high-fived. Oh, Atobe, for your information, champions dare to do anything. Why do you think they are champions? Because they have courage and morals to fight despite difficulties. If they have the guts to fight, they have the guts to do anything. At 4pm, they gathered at the TV to see their training scores. Training scores are rankings given to players after their training session in front of the Coaches. They range from one to twelve, with one being the lowest. The scores are decided privately once a week in the camp to evaluate their progress. The players are called into the Training Center according to alphabetical order. During their session, they can work at any of the stations, such as targets, balance skills, speed, strength, etc. The Coaches watch the players and evaluate their performance. After fifteen minutes, or once the Coaches believe that they have seen enough, they dismiss the player and call in the next one. Coach Mabi, the coach for Rikkaidai, sat before them. "The Coaches must acknowledge that this batch of players is exceptional, as you will hear after I read out the scores. From Seigaku, Fuji Syusuke, with a score of 8. From Momoshiro Takeshi, we have a score of 7. From Kikumaru Eiji, with a score of 7. From Oishi Shuichiro, with a score of 7. From Inui Sadaharu, with a score of 8. From Kaidoh Karou, with a score of 6. From Tezuka Kunimitsu, we have a score of 9." The rest of the scores gone by in a blur. Surprisingly, Jiroh, the Sleeping Beauty, got an 8, and Atobe got a 9. Yukimura and Sanada both got a 10. Sengoku, the lucky one, got a 6. The Tanaka twins got a 5.

"And finally, to Echizen Ryoma, with a score of…." She checked the sheet, frowning. "12!" And to Carumati Nokkela, with…another score of 12!" (If you want to know a particular player's scores, you can always PM me). Atobe clapped Ryoma on the shoulder, saying congrats. "Guess they liked both your tempers." said Atobe, smiling. "Oh, it's nearly 6. Let's go." The other two nodded, and stepped in the elevator.

Meanwhile at the 6th floor…..

"WHAT THE? ECHIZEN GOT A 12?" Momo shouted. "What has he done to get that score?"

"Relax, Momo. That boy, Carumati also got a 12." said Inui. "I don't know much about Carumati's skills though. I don't know what he might have to give him that score."

"Carumati? That's a weird name for a boy." said Fuji.

"Anyway, let's go. It's nearly 6. We have to go down for the practice match." said Tezuka. The others nodded. "If I have to play against Echizen, I defeat him in my own way, and no one interferes. I'll make sure he suffers a slow defeat." With that, he pressed for the elevator. The others smirked. Echizen had better watch out.

Omake (Beauty Secrets)

**Interviewer: Hello, everyone, welcome to our beauty channel. Let's welcome our beautiful female character, Pakura!**

**(Pakura walks in)**

**Pakura: Hello, everyone.**

**I: So, Pakura, what's your secret behind that curvaceous body?**

**P: Huh? Oh I don't really care about it.**

**I: Ok…so what's the secret to those clear eyes of yours?**

**P: Didn't really keep track.**

**I: Alright then…how about your clear face?**

**P: My face is clear?**

**I: (getting annoyed): Ok, how about those thin legs?**

**P: Didn't really keep track of them.**

**I: (getting frustrated) That silky jet black hair?**

**P: Not concerned. **

**I: How about that nice, supple skin of yours?**

**P: I-**

**I: (cuts her off) ARGH! I give up! (Throws down clipboard, and stormed off)**

**P: (blinks after interviewer) I was about to say I take milk baths…..**

**CR: Please note I only have one hour to type this whole chapter, so I think I rushed. So what do you think of the omake?**


	10. Arrival of the other 6 champions!

**CR: Yip, everyone, thank you for all those reviews! Never had so many compliments in my life….used to have people calling me "retard", or telling me I am abnormal, deserve to go Mental Hospital, deserve to go autistic school, etc. My classmates have nothing nice to say about me, and of course, I am no longer in their class, but unfortunately they go as far as wait for me outside my classroom and even going in my classroom just to make fun of me. Well, what can I do with these people? Let's get on with the story now.**

**Warning: Bit of OOC (Out Of Character)**

Meanwhile, the three of them were at the elevator, which was descending. They reached the ground level and then they walked to the Training Center, and got into the elevator again to the 17th floor. The others were already there. "Alright, the screen at the top of the wall will randomly pick out names and when you see your name on the screen please step out." said Coach Levi. The screen lighted up and the names were randomly flicking about, until they stopped at two names. Pakura and Atobe looked up and gaped. The screen read, "Oishi Shuichiro vs. Echizen Ryoma." Pakura slowly grinned. Oishi is so going to lose, she just knew it. After all, Ryoma has defeated the leader of the Chess Pieces and also, he got so strong to the point that he can defeat even her. He's the captain of the New Day Academy Boys Tennis Team, while she is the Vice-Captain. In fact, the 8 strongest ITM champions are captains of their own team, and since Ryoma is the captain of the ITM champions' team, he's the captain of the captains. For her? She's the vice-captain of the captains, being the vice-captain of the ITM champions' team. Pakura inexplicably gave an evil laugh. "What's so funny, Caru?" said Atobe. Pakura said, "That egg-head is going to have the horror of his lifetime, being pitted against Ryoma."

"How did you know?" said Atobe.

Pakura smiled. "You'll see."

Meanwhile, at the court, Ryoma prepared himself. 'Wait and see, Pakura-sensei. I'll show you your tutelage is not in vain.'

"Once set match, Oishi to serve."

"Well, Echizen, I'll prove to you I've grown stronger since three years ago. Be prepared." said Oishi.

'If you can defeat me, the strongest ITM champion, that is.' Ryoma thought. 'My eyesight and hearing has improved since three years ago, and I have superior hearing ability and body vision, like Pakura.' Oishi served a super-fast serve. Ryoam could see it, but chose to let it bounce past him. Pakura widened her eyes. 'Could he be…?' she decided to watch and find out. 'That serve is slower than my Scorch Serve.' She thought. 'If Ryoma let it bounce past him, it's most likely…' Pakura widened her eyes in realization, and then smiled. "40-0!" Coach Levi announced. Oishi smiled. "See, Echizen, how much I improved?"

"Not really." said Ryoma. 'Now, it's time to play 20% of my abilities.' Oishi threw the ball in the air, and served. Ryoma smirked, ran to the ball's course, and returned it.

30 minutes later...

"Game, to Echizen! 6-0!" Coach Levi announced. Pakura looked at Oishi, and was not surprised to see him on his knees. Ryoma had used an illusion, as he served the ball, eh slowly takes away Oishis' senses. Something like the yips, but except Oishi will hallucinate, in other words, see illusions. For the rest of the game, he swung the wrong balls, and Pakura was ready to bet he saw 5 Ryomas in his illusion. All 5 served to him and he probably tried to hit it all, only to realize it was the wrong ball. Pakura taught him this move. She called it Silent Confusion, because no one would realize they are trapped in the illusion until it's too late. Should Ryoma serve the ball and it hit any of Oishi's body part, he would feel as if he was pierced by knives. Meanwhile, at the court, Momoshiro was shouting at Ryoma. "What are you trying to do, kill him?" Pakura saw what was coming, climbed on the railing and jumped to the courts. She could handle the height, she's s stunt person after all. In fact, all of the strongest 8 are stunt people (and pranksters). Ryoma yawned. "He deserved what he got, didn't h-" but before he could finish his sentence, Momoshiro was raising his fist, going to punch him. Ryoma closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.

There was none.

When he opened his eyes slightly, he found Pakura holding Momoshiro's wrist. "Don't touch Ryoma with your filthy hands." She hissed, bending it at an angle that risked his wrist breaking. Coach Levi intervened, and said, "Oishi, are you alright?"

"If he's not alright." said Pakura. "Then he can miss the ITM champions coming tonight, who cares?"

"Oh no, I am not going to miss that. I am fine, Coach Levi." said Oishi. Pakura lowered her cap, and muttered, "Typical." Nobody outside of America knew the ITM champions names thanks to the efforts of Philip Robinson, a champion from New Explorers High School. Each of the strongest 8 has their own unique talent that made them stand out in America. For instance Philip Robinson was a genius at technology. Tyler was good at Art, and he loves painting.

Just then, Coach Levi's phone rang. "Hello? Coach Henry? Oh yes, yes. Alright. Bye." He hung up, turned to the other players, and said, "The ITM champions are here. Let's go to the Training Center roof to meet them." They went up to the elevator, eager to meet the other champions. Once they were at the roof, Coach Levi said, "They will be here shortly. Please behave yourself."

"Yes Coach!" the players said in unison. A few minutes later, the jet arrived and landed on the roof. The door opened and a man in his early thirties stepped out, followed by the champions, to thunderous applause and screams. Pakura pointed to the champions. "You coming?" said Pakura. Ryoma shook his head. "You go first."Pakura nodded, took off her cap, let her long jet black hair float down around her shoulders, and ran to the champions' side. Coach Henry smiled at her, before he turned to Coach Levi. There were comments on how pretty the girl was, and wonders on such a pretty girl like her can win the ITM. No one recognized her as the mysterious boy who was always by Ryoma's side.

"**Hello, Coach Henry. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Levi Kobayashi."**

"**Thank you, Coach Levi. It's an honor for you to invite us here. These are the champions."**

"**Pakura Goldstein, Vice-captain of the champions, from New Day Academy. You know her, she has been with you." **Pakura nodded.

"**Tyler Clearwater from Bronx High School" **Tyler waved.

**"Derek Evans, from All Hallows High School!" **Derek put up a hand.

"**Christopher McKiddie, from Fordham Preparatory School" **Christopher smiled.

"**Philip Robinson, from New Explorers High School" **Philip inclined his head.

"**William Anderson, from Bronx Community High School" **William waved cheerily.

"**Jude Harrison, from Bronx International High School." **Jude gave a small smile.

"**Er…where's the captain?"** said Coach Mabi. **"There are only 7 here."**

"**Relax, Mabi. The captain and the vice-captain arrived earlier. The captain is probably too lazy to show himself. Pakura, would you please show them to their rooms. They can rest until tomorrow night, where we have a formal party to introduce themselves."**

"**With pleasure, Coach Levi. Come on, boys." **She said. She left, followed by the boys. She beckoned to Ryoma and Atobe, and they followed her as well. When they left, Momo whistled. "I didn't know they will bring one female champion here. She's a real beauty."

"You can say that again. She has a gorgeous figure." said Fuji.

"Lucky! There's a female in this camp!" said Sengoku.

"Can't wait to meet them personally tomorrow. Right, Tezuka?"

"Yeah." He wanted to play against every single one of them, since they have won the ITM and he deemed them as worthy opponents.

Meanwhile, Pakura brought the whole team to the 12th floor penthouse. She handed the boys their card keys, and said, "Take a rest. You all need it seeing you all travelled 3 days in the jet. You all must be suffering from jet lag." The boys nodded, and went off to their rooms, except for Tyler. He gave Ryoma a big hug. "It's good to see you again, Ryoma. And who's this?" said Tyler, his eyes lingering on Atobe. "This is Keigo, my boyfriend."

Tyler let go of him in alarm "You are….gay?" Ryoma nodded. Tyler whistled. "I didn't know our leader is gay" he whispered to Pakura. "And when is our introduction?"

"Tomorrow, at 7pm." replied Pakura. "You can rest until then, Tyler."

She called the others later for supper, and tonight they served green salad, ham and chicken pie and mashed potatoes sprinkled with black pepper. For dessert, they had homemade strawberry ice cream. Of course, judging by the fact that the ITM champions stay in the same floor as Carumati and Ryoma, Atobe deduced that they themselves were ITM champions. He made a mental note to ask Ryoma about his ITM and how he won it. After supper, everyone went to bed. Ryoma gave Atobe a lingering kiss before he went back to his own floor (Pakura looked away….again).

"Let's go to sleep, Ryoma. Tomorrow, the prep team will beautify the champions for the party tomorrow." Ryoma nodded, bade Pakura goodnight, and went to bed. He thought about the events today and it gave him a surge of satisfaction. Contented, he fell asleep.

Omake (Forgotten Script)

**Director: Alright, next scene will be going to floor 6 to pull another prank, please get rea-**

**Tyler: Oh no! I forgot my script!**

**Philip: Seriously, Tyler? You are scheduled for the next scene, and you forgot your script?**

**Derek: This is such a disappointment, considering you are an ITM champion.**

**Christopher: Yeah.**

**Inui: Ho ho, looks like the ITM champions have fallen! (Seigaku team laughs)**

**Tyler: Shut up, Inui. I just couldn't find it. Well, er, I…..**

**Pakura: Just hurry up and find it already, and stop babbling.**

**Tyler: But I….**

**Inui: Well, I'll lend you mine for the time being. (hands over his script)**

**Tyler: Thanks, Inui….WAIT! THIS IS MY SCRIPT! (fuming mad)**

**Inui: Ah, really? Sorry.**

**Tyler: AND YOU DARE TO LAUGH? **

**Inui: Hey, wait I said I'm-**

**Tyler: (Punches Inui, who flew out of the studio)**

**A machine recorded how far he flew. It was exactly 326m. **

**Ryoma: Wow, Tyler set a new record! **

**ITM champions: (nod in agreement)**

**Narrator: And from now on, they do not dare to provoke Tyler again.**


	11. Echizen Ryoma, Captain of the Captains!

**CR: Not much time…again, because tomorrow my cousin is getting married and I am going. Also, *sigh* they have buffet lunch and their wedding ceremony is at night. IN A CHURCH! I didn't realize churches have night service, I thought it's usually in the afternoon…really, my cousin has the weirdest wedding requests. For instance, instead of the usual black his bridegroom suit is the color of beige, which is the same color as my aunt's walls. Also, he wanted the church service to be held at night instead of the usual afternoon. Well, back to the story, anyway! **

The next day, the ITM champions got up very early and met for breakfast. As soon as they were seated, they were served an enormous platter of food. Eggs, ham, piles of fried potatoes. A tureen of fruit sits in ice to keep it chilled. The amount of rolls they set before the champions will keep them going for a week. There's an elegant glass of orange juice, cups of coffee, and rich brown cups of hot chocolate. As they ate breakfast, Tyler spoke up. "Does anyone want to try the Kinect Dance Central at the Training Center? I heard it's on the 14th floor."

"How did you know it's at the 14th floor, Tyler?" said Philip, shoveling his eggs.

"I read the directory briefly when Paku took us to the elevator." said Tyler.

"Dance Central doesn't seem like a bad idea." said Christopher. "Right, Captain?" he said, turning to Ryoma.

"Hmm…alright. How about it, Pakura-sensei?"

"Don't call me sensei, Ryoma. You're the captain."

"True, but you mentor me. I am giving you respect."

Pakura sighed. "Alright, let's go there then."

After breakfast, they went to the fourteenth floor where the Kinect Dance Central was. The dance lounge was huge, with polished marble floors, comfy couches enough to fit 5 people in each couch, a dance floor for the players and CDs in one rack and a DVD player below the huge screen. The Kinect was situated a shelf above the DVD player. There is also some drink machines provided in the lounge, in case you get thirsty. Derek searched through and found the Dance Central CD. Philip activated the Kinect and the screen, and placed the CD in. "Right, who wants to go first?" said Christopher.

"I don't know, Chris. Why don't we do rock-paper-scissors? Winner goes first." The others nodded. Chris and Philip won the rock-paper-scissors. "Yay, let's go, Philip!" said Chris, as he dragged Philip to the dance floor. "Alright, which song do you want?" said Philip. Chris frowned, moving his arm to select the song. "I know! Let's dance to DJ got us falling in love!" Philip shrugged. Whatever you say, Chris." They selected their characters and chose easy mode. "Do you want collaborate, or dance battle?" said Philip.

"Dance battle." said Chris.

"Fine." said Philip, selecting dance battle.

The music started, and the moves they were supposed to do appear. Chris kept mixing up which side was he supposed to move to and which way is he supposed to dance. Philip, on the other hand, was calmer and he tried to recompose himself every time he danced the wrong move. Finally the song ended, and the game tabulated the scores. Philip won the match. Chris pouted, but his spirit wasn't dampened by his loss. "Ok, who's going next?" he said. William and Jude said together, "We'll go." They selected the same things, except they selected the song called, "Bad romance." Both of them never danced before, so it was a whole new experience for them. William won by only 30 points. (But it's still a win) "Good battle." said William, shaking Jude's hand. "Thanks. You're not bad yourself." said Jude. "Who wants to go next?" Ryoma, (who was watching the dance), said, "Alright. I'll go next. Come on, Paku." Pakura reluctantly stood up. "Alright." She selected a female character and asked Ryoma. "What song do you want?" Ryoma looked at the list of songs. "Ok, I want that song." He said, pointing to the song title. Pakura looked at what he was pointing, and said, "Alright." Before moving her hand and selecting "Like a G6." Both of them selected Hard Mode (to the team's surprise) and waited for the moves to appear. When they did, it was very fast and very complex, yet the two of them moved gracefully and easily, as if it they have done it before. The other six watched in awe as both of them moved like a mirror image to the characters on screen. They easily scored more than two million points, and the screen complimented their moves as "Flawless". Of course, both had "Flawless Finish" but Ryoma won by 2 points. Why? Because at one point in the song, while Pakura only had a "Nice", and Ryoma had, "Flawless". "Well, looks like I lost, Ryoma." said Pakura, shaking his hand.

"Nah, it was a good dance battle. You are a good dancer." said Ryoma.

"Very funny." said Pakura, but she is smiling. "Who's going next?"

They stayed in the dance lounge without being disturbed until 5pm, when it's time for the prep. Heck, they didn't even realize it was 5pm, until Coach Levi knocked on the door, poked in his head and said, "There you are. I've been spending the whole afternoon looking for all of you. It's time for your prep, guys." They bade good bye to each other before they are sent to their respective locations to get prepped. Pakura was sent to Natural Beauty Base. Natural Beauty Base turned out to be what a person looked like if they stepped out of bed looking flawless but natural. It meant her nails are perfectly shaped but not polished. Her hair soft and shiny but not styled. Her skin smooth and clear but not painted. Wax the body hair and erase the dark circles, but don't make any noticeable enhancements. After that, she was sent to a little room with couches and magazines. She supposed it's the Makeover Base, where they give you the make-up, manicures, hair-styling, etc. She got to read magazines and was even served cherry cola and provided a phone while her nails are being painted, her make-up being put on, her hair being styled. When they were done, they dressed her in a pink sheer sparkles dress that is sleeveless and had matching elbow gloves and matching high heels with jewels glued to the shoes. Her hair was curled at the bottom and it was decorated with sapphire clips. There isn't a single inch of her that hasn't been pinched, cut, filed, painted, sloughed, blown dry or moisturized, yet she still had her natural beauty. When they released her, she went to meet the others at the 12th floor penthouse.

"Wow, look who's just turned into a princess." said Tyler. His hair was deliberately messed and he was dressed in a dark blue suit that matched his hair. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you are a princess."

"Totally agree." said Philip. He was wearing a purple suit that matched his eye color and his prep team probably put gel in his hair. "Right, Ryoma?"

Ryoma, who looked cute/handsome in an elegant black suit with a gold watch around hit wrist, looked at her and nodded. He checked his gold watch. "It's nearly seven; let's go to the ballroom now." The ballroom is at the 21st floor of the Training Center, usually used to hold dancing lessons, but it is very huge and also, there is a stage. The ballroom was full of floral decorations with balloons at the top of the stage. The tables were set with shiny utensils and highly breakable dishes, and it was covered with a white tablecloth. In between the balloons was a banner that stated, "Welcome, Champions" that is probably hand drawn, Tyler muttered to Ryoma. (No one can argue because he is a genius at Art) They took their respective seats, to the applause of the other players. (They seemed to have to get ready for the party themselves, unlike the champions) Pakura reluctantly allowing Ryoma to sit with Atobe. "But you must promise to join us once we introduce ourselves." She said.

"Alright, I promise." He replied, before joining Atobe.

Just then, Coach Levi came up the stage. "Attention, everyone! Today, all 8 of the champions are here!" the players cheered, taking a glance at the table where all the champions (except Ryoma) were seated. "I would like to get them all up here to introduce themselves. Do note, all of them were captains of their own school tennis team! Also, they were the strongest 8 members of the Chess Pieces, which means, they are all Knight class!" there were murmurs of admiration. Pakura hated the stares they are giving them, especially her. It must have shown in her face, because William put a hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Paku, are you alright?" she nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." All 7 of them got up to the stage, to loud applause. Coach Levi passed the mike to Philip. "Hello, everyone. I am Philip Robinson, from New Explorers High School." He passed the mike to Derek. "I am Derek Evans, from All Hallows High School." He passed the mike to Jude. "Jude Harrison, from Bronx International High School." He passed it to Chris. "I am Christopher McKiddie, from Fordham Preparatory School" he passed it to William. "I am William Anderson, from Bronx Community High School" he passed it to Tyler. "I am Tyler Clearwater from Bronx High School." He passed it to Pakura. "My name is Pakura Goldstein, and I am from New Day Academy. However, I am not the captain of my school tennis team." There were gasps. "Rather, I am the vice-captain for the boys' tennis team. I am also the vice-captain of this team!" There were cheers and applause.

"Wait, where's the captain?" shouted Kintaro, jumping up and down his seat. "If he's the captain of all of you, then he is the captain of the captains, right?"

"He couldn't make it?" shouted Kamio.

"Oh no. He's already here. In fact, he arrived earlier than us." said Tyler, snatching the mike from Pakura.

"Really? Where is he?" said Saeki.

Meanwhile, at the Hyotei table…

"Ryoma, wake up." said Keigo to Ryoma, who was asleep on his shoulder. "Wake up!" the boy didn't stir. Atobe took drastic measures and plants a kiss on his lips. Ryoma woke up with a muffled shout, before returning Atobe's kiss. "The champions seem to be looking for you." He whispered in Ryoma's ear. Ryoma looked up, and sure enough, they were looking around for him.

Finally, Chris snapped, grabbed the mike from Tyler, and said, "Oi, Captain! Get your butt on the stage now!"

"That's not nice, Chris." said William.

"I know, Will, but he's probably sleeping again."

Ryoma grumbled, and got up, ignoring the shocked stares. He took Pakura's hand, and she led him up on stage. He took the mike from Chris. "Echizen Ryoma, from New Day Academy, Captain of the Chess Pieces and of this ITM champions." he said in a bored tone.

Fuji dropped his wine glass, which shattered musically against the floor, his eyes open. Momoshiro accidentally bit on his finger when he was eating bread. Oishi spat out his juice, spraying Kaidoh, who was too shocked to immediately get a napkin. Eiji dropped his cake, which stained his suit. Inui dropped his notebook. Even Tezuka stiffened. William saw those reactions first. "Hey, Ryoma," he said, nodding at the Seigaku table. The others looked as well, and muffled their laughs behind their hand.

'This is fun. Wish I had a camera.' thought Ryoma, as his team was sniggering next to him.

Omake (Sleeping)

**Narrator: One night, the ITM champions were sleeping in the forest.**

**Chris and Derek: (Snoring)**

**William: (who was sleeping next to them) I can't sleep with those two snoring so loud!**

**C: (sleeping) Yeah! (Punches William)**

**W: (sits up) Ouch! (Sits up, rubbing his head) Oh sheesh (dodging random items thrown by Chris)**

**D: (Still sleeping, gives William a flying kick)**

**W: Ouch! So much strength even when asleep. I will never get sleep at this rate (blocks Chris' punch) **

**D & C: (throws a ball, serves at William)**

**W: (hits the balls with own racquet and blocks Derek's and Chris attacks) I've got to do something. **

**Later….**

**W: (puts tied up sleeping Derek and Chris on the ground, sporting a few bruises in the process) Finally! Now I can have some peace.**

**Pakura: (who have woken up because of the ruckus) I agree. Why don't you go back to sleep? (Takes out her knife)**

**W: (sweatdrop) Uh oh.**

**(Pakura sliced at William)**

**W: NOOOOOOOOO!**

**A/N: So what do you think of the omake? I got this inspiration from when Yamato couldn't sleep because of Naruto and Kiba, but since the ITM champions are not ninjas, I had to make it as normal as possible.**


	12. Not all love stories have a happy ending

**CR: Never been to a church wedding in my life. I had to stand while the emcees sang the songs. Oh God! The songs are so long by the time the songs finished, my legs were numb. And then, when we got to the dinner room, there were NO chairs and we had to stand to eat. And the table was so small, about the size of 2 A Maths textbooks…for four people. And I had to sit in the front pew because I was the relative of the groom. This means, I was the last to get out because there is only one entrance and every single guest is shaking hands with the parents of the couple and the couple themselves, which made me and my family to do one drastic measure- We cut the queue! Anyway on with the story!**

When the introduction was made, everyone (except the Rikkaidai players, for some reason) gaped. Marui turned to Akaya and said, "See! I told you so! Now pay up, Bakaya!" he said, holding out his hand. Akaya grumbled before handing over his money. He made a mental note never to bet with Marui again. Yukimura smiled. He wasn't surprised ever since he saw the match with Oishi. Also, he saw Pakura beckon to Ryoma as they left for their penthouse. Sanada kept his poker face, and was also not surprised. Yukimura did tell him about seeing that girl beckon to him after all. Just then, there were shouts of protests.

"He can't be the captain!" cried Momoshiro. "He's a traitor!"

"Yeah, a traitor!" said Shishido. "He betrayed Seigaku!"

"He must have put a spell on you in order to become your captain!" shouted Gakuto.

"Yeah!" said Kamio.

The ITM Champions became ticked off. How dare they insult their captain? Tyler's smile dropped and he glared at the offending player. Jude and Philip looked like they wanted nothing more than to kill everyone that is in sight. William clenched his fists and bit his lip, trying to abstain from screaming every foul name he knew at the players. Derek closed his eyes tightly, as if he didn't want to look at their ugly faces. Christopher looked like he wanted to throw something at them, or at least take a swing. Pakura said nothing, looking down. "Hey, Paku." said Tyler. "Do something." Pakura snapped out of her reverie, and said, "Oh...right." she took the mike from Ryoma, and shouted into the mike. "SHUT UP!" Every head turned to Pakura. "Don't you dare insult our captain like that. He won the position fair and square, and if any of you want to challenge that fact, you'll have to go through all of us. If you dare to insult him one more time, I'll call our President to send the jet to bring us back home! UNDERSTAND?" she shouted. Some of the boys stammered, "Y-y-yes, Ma'am." Pakura threw back the mike to Coach Levi. "Er…well, that was a great introduction! Let's give a round of applause to our ITM champions!" There was scattered applause, as the champions took their seats. This time, Ryoma sat with them. The dishes were then served. Tonight, it's filet mignon. There was fish and for dessert, it was a big fancy tower of chocolate and chocolate chip scones. Pakura was sort of a fussy eater, so she got Ryoma to eat her remaining dish while she drank her juice. The other players visited their table often, and said they wanted to have matches with them, and wanted to hear stories of their ITM and how it felt like to be inside. Some, like Tyler and Chris, were kid enough to talk to them, other, like William, Jude and Philip, glared at them , making them back off. Pakura was one of the most popular, since she was the only female. She panicked when she was surrounded by the Seigaku players and some other Japan players. They introduced themselves to her (of course) and bombarded her with questions about her personal life, like "Will you get a boyfriend?", "How is it in the ITM?", "Is it true you are one of the smartest champions?" When she noticed Ryoma sitting alone because no one talked to him (due to the traitor theory), she excused herself from her group of admirers and walked towards Ryoma. "Ryoma." She said, before he could stop himself. He looked up. "What?"

"Why don't you join your boyfriend? I know you miss him." She smiled.

"Really?" said Ryoma.

Pakura nodded. "Yeah. And before that, I would like to tell you something."

He turned. "What?"

'Shut up, Pakura! Don't say it!' Despite the fact that her mind was thinking that repeatedly, she said, "Treasure what you have with Atobe. Love is a beautiful thing, but it could be the most heart breaking thing in the world." Ryoma frowned. "Have you ever tried romance?" Pakura hesitated, before nodding. "Once. I tried dating once." Ryoma raised his eyebrows. "And?" Pakura looked down in shame. "I will never try it again." Ryoma said, "I see." and walked away. Ryoma walked over to Atobe, and sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around Atobe, and Atobe wrapped his arms around Ryoma's waist. Ryoma leaned his head on Atobe's shoulder. Atobe's hand reached out, and stroked Ryoma's hair. "They really did a good job on your appearance tonight."

"Thank you, Keigo." said Ryoma. "You don't look too bad yourself." Surprisingly, although Atobe's hair was in its usual style, he was wearing a black suit that matches Ryoma's , and also, his face was relatively clear of makeup, just a bit of highlighting here and there, and the party lights helped emphasize on his attractive features. "I didn't know you are good at make-up, Keigo." said Ryoma.

"Of course. Ore-sama does read fashion magazines after all." said Atobe, flicking his hair. He adjusted his shoulder so that Ryoma would be more comfortable. "By the way, I saw Pakura say something to you before you came to me. What did she say to you?" Ryoma looked over at Pakura, who was being protected by Tyler from her admirers, turned back to Atobe, and said, "Seems like she approved of our relationship."

"Great!" said Atobe, remembering their conversation where Pakura said about convincing her that he was in love with Ryoma. It seemed like he finally cleared the stage. He pulled Ryoma down for a kiss and said, "Looks like I did it." Ryoma broke the kiss, his mouth just a hair from his lips, breathing on to it and whispering, "I guess you did." Before pulling him down for another kiss, not caring who watches them. It's almost as if they wanted them to know about their love for each other, and nothing could do them apart. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of sapphire blue eyes watched them for a split second before they flitted away. If anyone looked deep into those eyes, they could see hate, anger, and jealousy. The person composed herself, and said to Tyler, "I need to go back to the penthouse." Tyler nodded and said, "Got it." He announced to the boys surrounding her, "Make way! Our vice-captain's fallen sick! She needs rest!" The boys parted, giving a path for Tyler and Pakura. Tyler half carried her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Once they got into the elevator, Tyler let go of her. "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Pakura nodded. "Yeah. See you." With that, she went up the elevator, and Tyler went back to the party, which he was bombarded with questions whether the vice-captain was alright. While trying to convince the boys she was alright and just needed rest, he forgot to tell Ryoma about Pakura's returning to the penthouse until two hours later. When he remembered, he thought, 'oh crap, I forgot.' And went to look for Ryoma.

Meanwhile, Ryoma tried not to moan as Atobe was sucking a dark mark on his neck. No once saw them, because they somehow ended up under the table. Just then, someone lifted the tablecloth and Ryoma and Atobe looked up. It was Tyler. "Hey, Tyler, what do you want?" said Ryoma, sitting up and trying not to sound pleasured. Tyler, pretended not to notice their initial position, and said, "Pakura's left for the penthouse 2 hours ago. Sorry, I forgot to tell you." Ryoma nodded. "Alright." He checked his watch. "Anyway, the party's nearly over. Let's go back." Ryoma shouted over the ruckus. "Hey, everyone! Let's go back!" The champions, relieved to be rid of those annoying fans that do not even know them, quickly went to Ryoma's side, to the grumbles and complains of the Japan players. Ryoam went out of the ballroom, followed by the other six champions.

When they got to the penthouse, they bade each other goodnight. Pakura was standing at the balcony, her hands over the railing. "Hey, Paku." said Tyler. "Can I ask you a question?" Pakura shrugged, as if to say it's fine. "What did you say to Ryoma before he went to Atobe?" Pakura, clutching to an object in her right hand, said, "I only told him to treasure what he has with Atobe, that's all." Tyler was puzzled. "Why would you say that?" Pakura sighed, and said, "Because he needs to know, not all romance, the story of love, have a happy ending." Tyler looked confused. "Of course all love stories have a happy ending. Why would you not say that?" Pakura shrugged. "Ok, whose love story you know doesn't have a happy ending?" When she did not answer, he said, "Alright. I am going to sleep. Goodnight." With that, he left, leaving Pakura alone. Unbeknownst to him, the girl was actually crying silently. It was a long time before she said, "Mine." She took a drink from the object in her hand. It was a bottle.

On the bottle there were the words, "White Liquor" on it.

Omake (Taking the remedy)

**Narrator: Ryoma landed in the hospital due to food poisoning and Pakura was his nurse.**

**R: Paku, when can I get out of this hospital?**

**P: The doctor said, you'll have to wait three days, before your stomach will be back to normal. Just endure it!**

**R: No! I want to play tennis again by tomorrow!**

**P: But, Ryoma, you know I can't sneak you out. It'll land both of us in trouble!**

**R: Aren't you good at making remedies? I am sure you have a remedy that will help me recover faster and let me out of the hospital by tomorrow.**

**P: (Hesitates) I do. But not many people like the remedy.**

**R: Just give it to me!**

**P: Are you sure about this? Don't regret it**

**R: I won't! Now give me the remedy.**

**P: Fine (gives him the remedy) But I must warn you, it's not a very nice taste. Not many people would swallow it**

**R: (Ignores her and drinks the remedy)**

**R: (Spits out the remedy) Yucks! It's like Inui's Aozu, except it burns!**

**P: (who got the remedy all over her face because Ryoma spat it in her direction) What do you expect? Grape-flavored Ponta? (Cleans her face with a napkin) Told you not many people would swallow it. The only alternative is to wait three days.**

**R: Che. (folds his arms)**

**A/N: So what do you think of the omake? I only had 30 minutes to do this whole thing, so I might have rushed a bit. I already started receiving rude comments on this story. I swear, I am trying to make my OCs as normal as possible, I am doing my best! Unfortunately, I broke down on reading the comment just now, so it's a miracle I am still updating.**


	13. The Diamond Pair- Ryoma and Pakura!

**CR: Whew! Just got my head out of homework. Really, even if I am a bland and truthful person, I won't just tell them straight out what is wrong with their stories. I will hurt their feelings if I do that. I just don't see why some people can't do the same thing. I did the same to my friends' stories too. I tell them nicely how they can improve it, not tell them "Hey, your story's so bad, I don't want to read it." I will probably lose my friendship with them. Believe me, I know what it is like to receive criticism and insults. I spent two years hearing nothing but those from my classmates. They insult me in front of other people and even on the Internet. Once, they even took my photo and edited it into something else. So you think I need more criticism? Well, think again! Well, back to the story!**

The next day, the ITM champions' team met up for breakfast again. Today, they served eggs, sausages, batter cakes covered in thick orange preserves, slices of pale purple melon. While the Champions gorged themselves (Except Pakura. She hated eating more than she needed, and no, it's not because she is concerned about her weight. She tend to get sick if she overeat.), they chatted about last night's party. Most of them didn't enjoy it because they were surrounded by fans that did not know a single bit about them, other than the fact that they play tennis. Ryoma noticed Pakura was quiet today, so he said, "What about you, Paku? Did you enjoy the party?" Pakura looked at him, considered this, and said, "Nope. I did not like the attention given to me. Otherwise, it was fine." She then thought this. 'If you count me drinking in the middle of the night as part of the party, that is.' Speaking of drinking, she had started this habit since after she won her ITM. Nobody, not even Ryoma, her protégé, doubles partner, and best friend, knew about it. When she mentored Ryoma for the ITM, she stayed sober enough to help him, and then went back to drinking after he won. Feeling nauseous, she stood up, and said, "I need the bathroom." and walked to her room. Tyler, noticing something suspicious, followed her. Once she neared her door, Tyler called her. "Pakura." He said. She turned. "What is it, Tyler?" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You don't happen to be…jealous of Ryoma, do you? I saw the look in your eyes the night of the party." Tyler was right. She was jealous. He got someone to love him for who he is, but she didn't. What is it that he has and she doesn't and he could get someone to love him? God gave her everything- looks, abilities, brains, and talent. But she only wanted one thing-someone to love her for who she is. Is it too much just for that? Wait…she did have someone who loved her for who she is…but he's not with her anymore. Pakura said, "Yeah…I am alright."

"I knew it. You have been acting strange lately. Ever since the ITM, I don't see you smile genuinely anymore. Also, you seem secretive. Don't lie, I can tell your smile's not genuine."

Pakura stayed silent. Tyler was right. She created a mask, a perfect mask, to hide her true feelings. She started her drinking habit, and now she's a wreck, even if others don't know. She kept her predicament a secret. No one knew of her secret addiction to white liquor.

"If you have problems, why didn't you tell Ryoma?" Tyler went on, snapping Pakura out of her reverie.

"He already had Seigaku to deal with. He doesn't need to be burdened by my problems too. Besides, I promised I'd be there for him, to support him, not hinder him."

"He would want to hear about it. He's your best friend. If you continue like that, you'll break, you know."

Pakura shrugged. "Whatever. It's not as if I care anyway. I'm going in to prepare myself now. See you later." With that, she left for the bathroom. "And don't tell anyone about this conversation." She called, as she closed the door behind her. Tyler returned to the table. The expression must've shown in his face, because Ryoma asked, "What's wrong, T?" Tyler looked up at Ryoma. "Oh, it's nothing." he said, trying to sound in his usual cheerful voice. Ryoma frowned at him for a while, before saying, "Alright, if you say so. Philip, be a dear and go fetch the vice-captain, won't you? She said she'd be back by now." Philip nodded and went to the vice-captain's room. He knocked on the door. "Vice-captain? Captain says it's time to go. Would you please come out?"

Meanwhile, Pakura was vomiting out all her breakfast and the alcohol she had consumed the night before. The liquor burned just as much coming up and tasted twice as bad. She's trembling and sweaty when she finished vomiting, but at least most of the stuff is out of her system. Although enough got to her bloodstream to result in a pounding head, parched mouth, and boiling stomach. She barely heard the knock. When she did, she quickly rinsed her mouth with mouthwash and went to her dressing table to tie her hair in a ponytail. She also placed a ribbon clip on the right side of her head. She bundled up her ponytail and placed a cap over her head to make her look like a boy one last time. She opened the door, and found Philip, looking impatient and angry. "Finally. Do you know how many times I knocked on the freaking door?" Pakura tried to look sheepish, and said, "Sorry." They joined the others at the elevator, shouldering their tennis bags. They made their way to the gym, where the others were already waiting.

"Alright, everyone. For this morning, we'll focus on double matches. After lunch, we'll then focus on singles. Don't worry, I've had the information on who can play doubles among all of you. However, for now, this screen could only register two names at once. So, for those whose names are on the screen, partners please come out to the court too." said Coach Mabi. The screen lit up and the names moved very quickly. They then stopped at the names. Ryoma tapped Pakura, who was talking to Jude. "Pakura…" he said, pointing to the screen. Pakura looked up. The screen read, "Carumati Nokkela vs. Kikumaru Eiji." Pakura grimaced, but got her racquet and said, "Ryoma, let's go." Ryoma nodded, and got his own racquet. Meanwhile, at the Seigaku side, Kikumaru was shouting excitedly, "Hey! I am playing against the traitor's ally! Let's go, Oishi! Let's destroy him!" Oishi smirked. If he couldn't; defeat Ryoma, perhaps he could defeat his ally. Besides, he and Kikumaru were the best doubles team in Japan (proven 3 years ago during Nationals). They would be fine together. He got on the court with Kikumaru, and saw the other pair approaching them. Eiji and Oishi raised one eyebrow when they saw Carumati's partner. Echizen can play doubles? That's almost as possible as Tezuka wearing a pink tutu and running around the Training Center. And wait…they didn't see the boy in the party last night. So what is he doing here?

"Where were you in the party last night?" said Oishi. "I didn't see you."

The boy smirked, and said, "Seemed like you didn't recognize me. Change the name!" he shouted to the person controlling the screen. The name changed to "Pakura Goldstein." Pakura smirked, took off her cap, and casually threw it to William, who caught it perfectly. "Does that answer your question?" The gym was silent. So the boy, who was always by Ryoma's side, was…that pretty female champion? They felt stupid right now…..really stupid.

"So the name Carumati…" said Eiji.

"…Is her nickname." Ryoma laughed. "Alright, enough talk; let's get on with the match."

"I don't think you'll be able to beat me this time, Echizen." said Oishi. "You see, me and Eiji have been playing doubles longer than you. You don't stand a chance."

Ryoma smirked, "We'll…."

"…See about that." Pakura finished for him.

Mabi announced, "From Seigaku, we have Kikumaru, Oishi! From Chess Pieces, we have Echizen, Goldstein, Class: Knight! One set match, Kikumaru to serve!"

Kikumaru started with a lob that easily got behind the pair. "Nice one, Eiji! You got it right behind them!" said Momo. However, he was wrong. They were at the baseline in an instant, and Ryoma hit the ball. The ball bounced past a surprised Eiji. "15-0!" Coach Mabi cried. "Hmph, you got lucky. This time, you won't be able to return our serve!" said Eiji, as he served the ball….right down to the middle. Instead of bickering on who would hit it (like Ryoma and Momo) they ran to the center and hit the ball together. The ball bounced past them again. "30-0!" cried Coach Mabi. Eiji served again, and as if on prior agreement, Pakura let the ball bounce past her and Ryoma returned it. Oishi hit his famous Moon Volley. He was sure they wouldn't be able to return it, however, Pakura was at the baseline already, and she hit the ball before it hit the baseline. "40-0!" cried Coach Mabi. As Eiji served, Ryoma and Pakura looked at each other. "Hey, Paku, what was the name of the guy that started World War II?"

"It was…Hitler, wasn't it?" said Pakura.

Eiji was angry that they weren't taking the match seriously. They had the honor to play against the National Champions, and that was the attitude they gave? He hit the ball towards Ryoma.

"Huh, you only remembered Hitler? His name was Adolf Hitler!" said Ryoma, hitting the ball back, and it bounced past the Golden Pair.

Meanwhile, Atobe was the sidelines smirking. 'According to Ryoma, those two can anticipate and predict the course of the movement just by hearing its impact. Also, with their sharp eyes, they can see the slightest of movements, and imagine the ball's course when they see the racquet hit the ball. Combined with the fact that they understand each other so well and can read each other's minds and can finish each other's sentence, they make the best doubles partners in America. Even if you separate them, it's useless. Together or separate, they are invincible.' Ryoma hit the ball, and the ball bounced past the Golden Pair again. "Game, Echizen-Goldstein pair, 1-0! Echizen to serve!"

"Oh, it's my turn to serve already?" said Ryoma. "Alright, let's get serious…."

Half an hour later….

"Game, to Echizen- Goldstein Pair, 6-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma used a weird serve that causes the ball to suddenly change course. It was like twist serve, however, when Oishi tried to return it, (he knew the twist serve is aimed for the face), it bounced away from him and hit Eiji instead, leaving him slightly disoriented. When they got to 4-0, that's when Pakura used her Scorch Serve (it's her signature move). It's a very fast serve, and many people did not want to get hit by it, and now they knew why. Whenever you get hit, you will get burned, almost like as if you were burned by fire. So, by the time the match ended, there were burns all over their arms. They initially wanted to send for medics, but Ryoma threw them a tiny pot of balm, and said to use them. They did and the effect was magical, erasing the pain on contact, leaving a pleasant cooling sensation behind. They would've thanked Ryoma, but given the circumstances…..

Ryoma and Pakura returned to the Chess Pieces. Wait, only Pakura did. Ryoma went over and hugged his Atobe. "Nice match, Ryoma." said Atobe, ruffling his hair and giving him a can of Ponta. Ryoma accepted it with a smirk. "I could never ask for a better boyfriend. You knew what I like." He took a sip of Ponta, and pressed his lips on Atobe's briefly. Atobe felt the cool drink of Ponta enter his mouth, and he swallowed it gratefully. "Hmm...sweet." said Atobe, licking his lips. "By the way, why did you help Eiji and Oishi?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "When I want to crush them, I need them to be in tip-top condition. I can't crush them in that state; otherwise people will think I am a coward." Ryoma took another sip and said, "Thirsty?" Atobe smirked. He knew what Ryoma was implying. He pressed his lips to Ryoma's, wanting to drink Ponta again. As Ryoma was feeding Atobe Ponta, he caught a glimpse of the Seigaku regulars looking very angry. He smirked. He's one step closer into crushing them. One day, they will face the total wrath of messing with one Echizen Ryoma…and he will make sure of it.

Omake (The Chess Pieces)

**Ryoma: Hello everyone! Today, Tyler and I will explain about the organization, The Chess Pieces. **

**Tyler: That's right! As all of you know in the story, we are part of this organization called the Chess Pieces. **

**Ryoma: Before I took over the organization, it was ruled by a boy called Josh Richter. (A picture of a boy with blonde hair and electric blue eyes appeared.) Don't let looks fool you. He's a bastard. When our vice-captain was 5, he was the reason why our vice-captain became pure. If you want to know the full story, you'd better ask her, she didn't tell me.**

**Tyler: When Ryoma was selected for the ITM, he happened to be inside. Richter was his last opponent. Of course, with Pakura's tutelage, he won.**

**Ryoma: I then took over the Chess Pieces, kicking out the members who are unworthy of it, and started recruiting members who actually have a genuine passion for tennis, not just because they are good. **

**Tyler: As you all know, there are ranks in the Chess Pieces, namely, Pawns, Rooks, Bishops, and Knights. When you first join, you will start off as Pawn. However, if you show enough passion and skill towards tennis, Ryoma will promote you, and you will get privileges within our headquarters. Our headquarters is actually a castle located in New York, on the inside of the castle it's as fancy as a hotel. (Whispers) Ryoma now owns this castle. But the Seigaku regulars do not know how rich he is yet. Inside the castle, there is a treasury which is this huge roomful of coins, golden goblets, jewels, you name it. Don't tell anyone, especially the Seigaku regulars.**

**Ryoma: Don't think the 8 strongest Knights are promoted just because they are Champions. No, they had to work their butts off to get the Knight ranking as I deem fit.**

**Tyler: We don't just live off our fortune in the treasury. Some of us do work, and we bring some of our earnings back to the castle. There are maids and butlers serving us, just like Atobe and his mansion. Right, Ryoma?**

**Ryoma: Right. Keigo doesn't know about it. But I will tell him someday.**

**Tyler: Oh, BTW, do you have a desire to join the Chess Pieces? Just come to Ryoma or Pakura and show them your passion towards tennis. If you succeed, they will let you in.**

**Ryoma: Currently, we are lacking female members. I know, if you're a female and you have a passion and the skill for tennis, why don't you join us? Pakura will be your best friend! She's quite lonely in this organization, but she doesn't show it often.**

**Tyler: Yup. She'll treat you nice alright. **

**R&T: See you readers in the next chapter!**

**CR: Sorry, if the chapter is not nice. I only had an hour to do this. What do you think of the omake?**


	14. Tyler's artistic prank

**CR: Really! I have only been on fanfiction for 21 days, and I didn't expect so many favorites, followers and reviews for my stories! I even have people favorite and following me. It leads me to ask, "Have I underestimated my writing abilities?" I was wondering this because I have more reviews, favorites and followers than my friends now. This is probably just a filler chapter, depends on you. **

**Warning: Bit of OOC.**

"That was a nice match, Ryoma, Pakura." said Philip. Every champion, except Tyler, were sitting together at a table, eating lunch…wait, correct that. Ryoma invited his boyfriend over to sit with them too…you know what they are doing, I don't have to say. The only thing I'll say is this: Pakura is closing her eyes and trying to eat at the same time. They have two hours' worth of lunch time and they figured after lunch, they can go someplace and explore. "By the way, where's Tyler?" said Jude. William shrugged. "I don't know, but I think he may be up to no good, because I heard him cackling before he left for the elevator." Pakura frowned, eye still closed, trying to remember what happened before Tyler disappeared….

_Pakura was in her room, clearing up some items on the floor, and Tyler decided to help the morning of the formal party. "Hey, what's this, Paku?"He said, taking a small pink container off the floor. Pakura turned to look at what he's holding, and said, "Ugh. That's hair dye. If you mix it with shampoo, your hair will turn to the color stated on the label. Somebody gave this to me as a Valentine's Day present, because he thought I need more fashion sense." Pakura grumbled at the memory. Tyler turned the small container in his hand with interest. "Can I keep it?" he said. Pakura shrugged. "Do whatever you like to it, I don't want it anyway." Tyler cheered. "Thanks Paku!"_

Meanwhile, Tyler was in the Training Center room elevator, trying to abstain from laughing an evil laugh. He longed to do something heroic, something that will freak Seigaku out. He admired his captain for locking Seigaku out of the elevator and causing them to be stuck in their floors for a whole day. He admired Atobe, his boyfriend, who suggested they dump ice cream on that Seigaku captain's head, and Pakura did the honors. It was now his turn to become a hero, now he had come up with a brilliant plot. He got to the sixth floor. He knew from the first to sixth floor, the doors were just installed with a doorknob. From the seventh floor onwards, that's where you will get your card key. He tried the first door he encountered. As he thought, it was locked. But he was covered. He took out a hairpin, and picked on the lock. It gave a small "click" and the door swung open. He sneaked in straight to the showers, and lifted all the shampoos. He found the lightest one, and placed enough pink dye to change the person's hair color, but not enough that anyone will notice so when he shook the shampoo, it looked reasonably yellow. He then snuck out of the sixth floor, and went back to his room for a while. So far so good.

Meanwhile, Seigaku was staring at the champions...erm, scratch that. They were glaring at Ryoma. "Those brats better not have come up with another prank for us….not if we have anything to do with it." said Fuji. "Although, you have to admit, the female brat's very cute." The boys nodded. "I doubt she will go for guys like us, though." The group stopped chewing. "What do you mean, Fuji-senpai?" said Momoshiro. "We are the National champions; of course she'll be tripping on her feet to go out with any of us." Fuji said, "True, but she's on Echizen's side, the person we are trying to prevent letting others know the truth." Just then, Inui interrupted. "Do you notice both go to the same school." Oishi looked up. "Who?" he asked. Inui replied, "Goldstein and Echizen. At the night of the party, both mentioned they come from New Day Academy." Tezuka, who was popping a sushi in his mouth, said, "Yeah, and so?" Inui looked impatient. "If both of them are from the same school and won the ITM, that it meant that one of them could have mentored the other!" The Seigaku regulars stared. "When ITM champions won, they have to mentor the future players from their school." Inui waved his hand impatiently. "Oh." said Kaidoh. "So who's the mentor and who's the protégé?"

Inui thought about it for a while. "It's possible Echizen mentored Pakura, since he's the captain and she's the vice-captain…."

After lunch, the Seigaku regulars thought they'd take a shower, since the matches were quite intense today. Meanwhile, the champions were talking about the doubles matches and which team they took an interest to, when Tyler returned. "Tyler! Where were you! Come, sit with us!" said Jude, patting the empty seat beside him. Tyler did, and started on his lunch. "So what were you doing just now?" said Ryoma, silently sniggering at Pakura , whose eyes are still closed. However, if he had looked carefully, he might be able to deduce that she is closing her eyes due to jealousy. Never mind. Let's hear what Tyler has to say. "Oh, nothing." said Tyler. "I was just working on another one of my artworks. When I return to America after the camp, I have to submit that mixed-media piece for the Kelly Tate Gallery. " No one could argue, because besides being a tennis player, Tyler was a very talented artist who was recently featured in Art in America magazine as one of the most important painters of the new millennium. One of his paintings, _Sunrise in the Garden, _won this big national award, and was sold for more than half a million dollars. Their headquarters had paintings that are mostly done by him and people are willing to pay just to take a look at his paintings.

After lunch, the players gathered back in the gym, and Coach Mabi announced that it's time for the singles match. This time, everyone would have to participate. Just then, the Seigaku team entered, each of them sporting a towel on their heads. Apparently, they took their time to shower and when they realized they were late, they rushed out while drying their hair halfway. Tyler smirked inwardly. He wondered who had the pink hair. Well, he'll wait and see. Everyone was willing to wait until the Seigaku regulars finish drying their hair before they continue. When Tezuka finally removed his towel, Kintaro let out shriek that seemed to lift him up right into the air. He dropped the water bottle he was holding on the ground, and the water snaked down the floor. "What the heck's the matter with you, Kintaro?" Momoshiro shouted. "Look what you've done to the floor!"

"Tezuka-senpai's hair!" Kintaro shouted. "Look at his hair! What has he done to it?"

Tezuka frowned. 'What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh my God, what have you done to your hair, Tezuka?" said Kamio.

A splendid noisy scene was building up nicely in the tennis gym. Tyler said nothing. He simply stood next to Ryoma, who had buried his face in Atobe's shirt to keep himself from laughing. Atobe himself is wiping tears from his silent laughter. He was admiring the wonderful effect of his own handiwork. Tezuka's lovely golden brown hair was now bright pink, the same color as Pakura's ribbon clip, only much more intense. William grinned, and turned on his camera. 'This is so going to be good blackmail for Ryoma's future use.'

"You've…you've….you've dyed it!" Saeki shouted. "Why did you do it, you fool? It looks absolutely horrendous! You look like a freak!"

"What are you taking about?" Tezuka replied. "I most certainly have not dyed it! What'd' you mean, I've dyed it? What's happened to it? Is this some sort of joke?" His face was turning pale green, the color of sour apples.

"You must have dyed it, Tezuka." said Tachibana. "It's the same color as Pakura's ribbon clip only much more intense in brightness."

"Of course he dyed it!" William cried. "What are you trying to do, make yourself look handsome or something? You look like a father gone wrong!"

"Seriously?" said Tezuka. "Well, does anyone have a mirror?"

Atobe'a bag lay on the other side of the gym. He opened the bag and got out a powder compact that had a small round mirror on the inside of the lid. He opened the compact, trying not to laugh, and handed it to Tezuka. He grabbed it and held it before his face and in doing so spilled most of the powder all over his shirt. "Hey, be careful!" said Atobe. "Now look what've you done! That was Ore-sama's best Elizabeth Arden face powder!" Ryoma looked at him indignantly. "I didn't even know you use that kind of powder." Atobe sighed. "Only during parties, when Ore-sama wants to erase and blemishes on Ore-sama's face!"

"Oh my God!" Tezuka cried. "What happened to me? I look terrible! I look like my father gone wrong! What happened?"

"I imagine, Tezuka." said Pakura, shaking her head. "You must have simply used those shampoos that actually change the color of your hair." There is a whole lot of them in the Training Center shower. She herself used the red shampoo before the formal party, which temporarily dyed her hair red. However, she suspected Tyler used that pink dye he took from her, which she is sorry to say, it will take quite a long time before the dye will go off.

"What should I do now?" said Tezuka. "I can't go around looking like this forever!" he glared at every single player, demanding for an answer, but it was Coach Mabi who spoke up. "You'll have to have it dyed brown. Do wash it first, though, so that the dye job would be easier." Tezuka nodded, and ran to his room to wash his hair. Coach Mabi sighed, and took out her hand phone to call the beauty parlor to get Tezuka an appointment with her hairdresser for a hair-dyeing job.

"That was pretty silly of him, wasn't it, Coach Mabi?" said Tyler innocently.

Coach Mabi, dialing the number on the phone said, "No offence, Tyler, but I'm afraid men are not always quite as clever as they think they are. You will learn that when you get a bit older, my boy."

Omake (Playboy Jude)

**Ryoma: Hello, everyone! Yes, the author asked me to come back to the omake again.**

**Pakura: Me too….**

**R: Hey, I dragged you here because you are popular in this story ok? The readers love you!**

**P: What is there to love about me? I think the author is trying to get me discriminated again. **

**R: Oh come on, I am sure the readers love you (whisper to readers) Help me convince her, won't ya?**

**P: Anyway, today we are going to talk about one of our champions- the playboy Jude Harrison.**

**R: Now, why would we call him playboy?**

**P: You see, back when we were in the castle headquarters, besides having time with us and tennis and swimming (he's a champion swimmer), he also spent time with his girlfriends. Yes, girlfriend, with a S. He's always got some new girlfriend slinking around. He brings them in the castle with him. They always drool all over the pools, the stables, the waterfall, the twenty-seven bedrooms and the ballroom and the vineyard and the farm and the airstrip.**

**R: And he dumps them a week later. **

**P: We don't really know what he is doing, playing with all those girls like that. **

**R: The things he wears are usually gifts by his many girlfriends. **

**P: Thank God I was never one of them**

**R: Because when he asked, you beat him up, and he didn't get out of hospital for a year!**

**P: (turn red) Oh yeah. I forgot.**

**R: Not to mention, you also beat his girlfriends up!**

**P: They are messing with my room and clothes! Also, who gave them permission to enter my room and mess with my stuff anyway?**

**R: Alright, alright. Calm down. Anyway, we are now in Japan, and we are keeping an eye on him in case he flirts with any girls again. **

**P: Hey! Is that Jude's magazine? (Takes up magazine) I didn't know he is into fashion. (Opens magazine) Hmm….I didn't know being naked is the new fash-**

**R: (snatches the magazine) (thought) Thank God Pakura doesn't know about a word called porn. Heck, she doesn't even know a single vulgar word. I am so going to kill Jude when I get my hands on him. **

**P: What's wrong, Ryoma?**

**R: Let's see…this magazine is to er….Heck that! (Storms out of the room)**

**P: I wonder what's wrong. (Cocks her head to one side thoughtfully)**

**Narrator: The next day, the whole team heard that Jude landed in the hospital.**

**Philip: Was it Pakura again?**

**Jude: Nope. It was captain.**

**Tyler: Wait, wasn't Ryoma filming with Pakura in your room the other day? How could he have…? **

**(It dawned on them)**

**T&P: (raises their racquet, and hit Jude's broken leg)**

**Meanwhile in Antarctica…**

**Eskimo 1: did you just hear someone scream "Arrrggggghh?" **

**Eskimo 2: Yeah, I did. Wonder where it comes from. **

**CR: I know, I just can't resist putting this chapter (though I have an hour) and since all of them are pranksters, might as well just pull a few more pranks during the camp. Sorry, I don't know how long this story is going to last because I hardly have time to write a chapter. So what do you think of the omake?**

**P.S: Oh, and next omake, you will get to find out how one of the champions cope with his/her nightmare after they won the ITM. Which champion do you want? Please vote in your reviews.**


	15. Tezuka's revenge

**CR: I only have one hour to write this thing, so please don't say anything about me rushing. Believe me, I KNOW! I am not stupid. I am in middle school, not in the middle of preschool. Anyway, back to the story! Also, look out for the poll, where I'll have 2 mystery characters to tell you about in the omake. Stay tuned! **

The ITM champions and Atobe were beside themselves with laughter when William showed them the pictures he had taken during the pink hair incident. "I think we should call this 'Tyler's pink paradise!'" said Atobe, laughing at the picture of Tezuka in the pink hair. "Good idea, Atobe." said Jude. "I think we should stop laughing, they are back." By 'they', he meant Tezuka and Coach Mabi, who have taken him to the beauty parlor to have his hair dyed back to brown. "Right." said Coach Mabi, as Tezuka joined back his team. "Now we can start our single matches." The screen lit up and the names began to flicker. It wasn't long before the names stop at "William Anderson vs. Tezuka Kunimitsu." William got up and took his racquet. "Good luck, Will." said Ryoma, holding Atobe's hand. "Thanks, captain." said William. "Good luck, William. You can do it." said Pakura, who was trying not to look at Ryoma and Atobe's intertwined hand. "Thanks a lot, Princess." said William. Pakura turned red. "Don't call me a princess!" said Pakura. "What? You were our princess back in the castle. Ryoma gave you that title, didn't he?" Ryoma nodded. "I did. She had the three things a princess should have. Poise, grace and beauty. So, I gave her the title of princess. Also, everyone refers to her as Princess in New Day Academy, thanks to me." Pakura sighed. 'Yes, it's thanks to you.' She thought bitterly. Many girls would love to be called Princess, especially if the nickname was given to them by Ryoma, that's true, but not her. She didn't say anything because Ryoma's her best friend and she knew he cared for her. Also, she can't upset him ever since Seigaku's betrayal. She'd do anything to make him happy.

William swung his racquet over his shoulder, and went out to the courts. Coach Mabi announced, "From Seigaku, we have Tezuka! And from Chess Pieces, we have Anderson, Class: Knight! One set match, Anderson to serve!"

William smiled at his opponent, threw the ball in the air, and hit it to Tezuka. Tezuka ran towards the ball, only to have William say, "Hey! Do you know there is still a bit of pink dye in your hair?" Tezuka fumbled, and the ball bounced past him. "15-0!" cried Coach Mabi. William stuck out his tongue slightly. "I lied." as the ITM Champions laughed. Ryoma and Atobe actually have to cling on to each other to prevent from losing their balance. Pakura held the railing as she clutched to a stitch. Tyler banged the wall with his fists. Jude and Philip were covering their mouths with their hands. Tezuka glared at William before he got back into position. William served, and hit it towards Tezuka. Tezuka hit it all the way to the other side. A normal tennis player would not have time to reach the other side before the ball bounces, but William was there before you can say "tennis". Meanwhile, Ryoma was standing next to Atobe, smiling. 'William specializes on his speed. He actually beat his school record of running a mile of 7 minutes and 40 seconds by 2 whole minutes. When he runs, it's almost as if he is teleporting. Sometimes, not even Pakura can land a hit on him when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, and she is one of the speedier ones in our team.' William returned Tezuka's serve again. "Game, to Anderson, 2-0!" Coach Mabi cried. Pakura swung herself on the railing and sat there. She let out a low whistle. "It seems like Will has further improved on his speed since he won his ITM. He's faster than when I last played him." Ryoma nodded. She is right after all. She sat on the railing and observed the match. She frowned. Every hit William is hitting, it always went out. What is going on?

"OUT! Game, to Tezuka, 2-1!" Coach Mabi announced. Atobe widened his eyes. "I know that technique." said Atobe. "Sanada told me about it. It's a variation of the Tezuka Zone, instead of sucking the ball towards Tezuka, it forces the ball out of bounds. However, the amount of spin the Tezuka Phantom requires to even make the ball out in singles is six times greater than the spin used for the Tezuka Zone, which will put a very heavy burden on his arm, and consecutive uses of this technique may result in Tezuka re-injuring his arm or being permanently sidelined. He's going all out for this one." Meanwhile, William figured out how to beat this Tezuka Phantom. Being one of the smarter ones, he realized Tezuka was causing all the shots to be out. 'He must have forced it out, though.' William thought. If he use his Ground Spin shot, he might stand a chance. He threw the ball in the air, and served. The ball kept spinning, and Tezuka was wondering why the ball was bent on spinning on the same spot. Also, it seemed that he is unable to force the ball out. The ball finally stopped spinning, barely at the baseline. "Game, Anderson, 3-1" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma saw what was happening, and frowned. 'Although it's true that the Ground Spin Shot does counter Tezuka Phantom, William couldn't use it very often because it requires a lot of stamina to use that move. As the game progresses, William will most likely drain his stamina, and eventually will be too tired to use it. But then again, he might have improved his stamina since we last played. Well, we'll see.' He took a glance at Pakura, who was having her fingers crossed, thinking, 'Come on, Will. You can win this!'

William sighed. He can't use the Ground Spin shot forever. He had to use a move which Tezuka can't see, and it won't be sucked in that Tezuka Zone. He used Teleportation Serve, the move taught to him by Pakura. It is a ball that goes slow at first, but when the person attempt to return it, it will increase its speed drastically. Before it hits the ground, it will slow down again, making it look like it was teleporting. It worked. "Game, to Anderson, 4-2!" Coach Mabi cried. Pakura swung around, still sitting on the railing, to face Ryoma. "Hey, Ryoma, seems like the captain has gotten to a whole new level. He even took two points from William." Ryoma nodded grimly. However, he's the captain of the champions. Maybe he could win without Tezuka taking a simple point from him. However, whether he will play against Tezuka in this camp, only time would tell. Meanwhile, Tezuka was quite angry that William defeated his trump cards. He saw Pakura's back facing him, still sitting at the railing. He inwardly gave a nasty smile. He threw the ball in the air, and William braced himself to return it. However, it whooshed past him, and was headed straight for….

"PAKURA! LOOK OUT!" William cried. Pakura, who was chatting to Atobe about other tennis moves he knew, turned and said, "What?" then she saw the ball, but it was too late. She leaned backwards to avoid the ball, but she fell off the railing. Ryoma tried to catch her, but her body gave in to the gravity and she plunged straight to the ground. When she hit the floor, she was winded. Her team ran towards her. "Pakura, are you alright?" said William. Pakura, who was too winded to say anything, just kept panting, as she tried to get up. She is a stunt person; she can handle a certain height. But from the floor to the railing she was sitting on, it's almost 4 meters, and it'll be a miracle if she didn't break any bones. Coach Mabi ran over. "What's going on?" she said. "Pakura fell off the railing, Coach Mabi. I think we should carry her to the sick room." Coach Mabi nodded. "Pakura, can you stand?" With Ryoma's and Atobe's support, she could stand. They half dragged, half carried her to the sick room, while Coach Mabi went to the coaches room to inform the others about what happened.

"If Tezuka wanted to take revenge, he should have done it to me! Why did he drag you in?" said Ryoma, fuming mad.

"Ryoma, it's alright."

"Alright? Don't be ridiculous. Tezuka might have caused you to break a bone. Heck, it's a miracle you are not even bleeding." said Atobe. They dragged her to the elevator, and pressed the floor for the sick room. "When I get my hands on him…."

Meanwhile, in the gym, William was shouting at Tezuka. "What was that for, you bastard?" Tezuka sighed, rubbed his temples, and said, "I said, it was an accident." William snorted. "Accident, my foot! Was it an accident when you betrayed our captain? Was it an accident when you tried to steal our vice-captain's bow? Huh? You know what, in due time, the coaches will have a light version of the ITM, and they will pick two representatives from each school to select the Japan representatives. I want to see you in it." He said, pointing a finger in Tezuka's chest. "Why?" said Tezuka. "If you win against us, you will be able to represent Japan. However, if you lose, I want you to promise us one thing. If you lose, I want you to ADMIT the truth!"

"Fine. If you lose, Echizen will admit he's wrong."

William smiled. "I accept the challenge." With that, he walked away.

"Philip." He said.

"What is it, Will?" said Philip.

"I want you to rig the computer system for that light version of the ITM. Make sure Tezuka faces off either our captain or vice-captain." Philip nodded, and ran to start on his task. William thought. 'Ryoma, Pakura. We must make sure none of the Japan representatives are from Seigaku. I'll leave it up to you both to keep Tezuka out of the Japan representatives. He's a very strong player.'

Omake (The poll)

**William: Hello, everyone, I am William Anderson, the star for this chapter!**

**Jude: Yes, I know. Anyway, let's announce the poll**

**W: As all of you know, we are the champions of the ITM**

**J: Yes, and we all have suffered nightmares**

**W: we will be showing how ONE of us copes with his or her nightmares**

**J: wait…her?**

**W: Our vice-captain, you moron.**

**J: Oh yeah, sorry.**

**W: Anyway, do vote in your reviews on which champion's ITM story and how they cope with their nightmares you want to know about. Remember; choose carefully, because there won't be a second chance.**

**J: This is a good opportunity to find out more about your favorite champion.**

**W: That's right! I am sure everyone by now has a champion they love in this story.**

**J: Because no matter what, we will always stay by our captain's side, whatever they might say about him. **

**W: The ITM stories will be placed in the omake. The next chapter where the ITM omake is placed may continue form the omake, just to let you know.**

**J: Well, what are you waiting for? Start voting! The champions with the most votes will tell his or her own sad, sorry tale.**

**W&J: See you in the next chapter! And please vote in your reviews!**


	16. The Ghost on the sixth floor

**BP: I realized I like books more than ribbons, hence I changed my name. I read three books just yesterday, and my family was like, "You're reading again?" Come on! If it's a good book, it's worth reading a hundred times. I mean, when I say shopping, I meant going to the bookstore and buying books. Clothes and accessories are not my type, and I don't care how I look. I just grab whatever I have and just wear it.**

Mini-Drama

**Jude: (takes out paper) so, so far, these are the results:**

**Tyler- 2 votes**

**Pakura- 1 vote**

**Philip- 2 votes**

**William- 2 votes.**

**Ryoma: 1 vote**

**R: Argh! Even if I lose, my ITM will still appear in the story, albeit near the end of the story, which I don't know when it will end.**

**P: Mine will not necessarily appear in the story line though. Maybe in a bonus chapter, when the author feels like it. I pray she doesn't put my background and ITM in the story line.**

**W: If you lose the poll, Pakura, maybe your background will not be put in AT ALL!**

**P: Yes, that's what I pray for. But if I win…..**

**T: Then the author will tell your background and story earlier….much earlier. If you lose, the author will put it in a bonus chapter…if she ever writes one, that is. It depends on the readers whether they want to know your story earlier or they can wait. I mean, it has been 16 chapters, maybe they can't wait and will vote for you!**

**P: Shut up, Tyler**

**R: Hey! At least yours may not be in the story line! For me, the fans will know my ITM.**

**P: That's because you're the main character!**

**R: (Grumbles) Anyway, the poll won't close until there is a clear winner. So do continue voting! Let's continue with the story!**

Pakura sat on the bed while the doctor examined her. "No broken bones, surprisingly." He said. "How far did you fall?" Pakura frowned at him, before saying, "About 4 meters." The doctor looked surprised. "Any normal person would have broken their bones falling from that height. What are you?" Pakura glared at the doctor. "I've gone through intensive training. So when can I get discharged?" The doctor consulted his clipboard, and said, "Probably tomorrow. We need to keep you here for observations." Pakura nodded, before the doctor left her ward. Pakura fell back on her bed just as the door opened. It was William and Christopher.

"Hello, Chris, Will." said Pakura.

"Hello, Princess." They said in unison. Chris and William sat on the edge of the bed. "So, what's the current situation now?" said Pakura.

William said casually, "Oh, the other champions are now thinking of ways to get revenge for making you fall off the railing. Chris went against this guy called Akutsu Jin or something, and won 6-0, Derek went against Kirihara Akaya from Rikkaidai, or whatever the school is called, and he won 6-1. I heard this guy injures people in their matches when he got into devil mode, but Derek managed to avoid all that and won with a clean victory, except for the one point. Bakaya's probably seething right now." Here, both Pakura and Chris laughed. "Ryoma went against this hyper guy called Kintaro Toyama, and he won 6-0. He must be venting his anger of you being caused to fall off the railing. Then, this Hyotei guy Gakuto went against Sanada, and lost 6-0. Tachibana Kippei went against this fat dude called Kei Tanishi, and Tachibana won 6-2. After that, they said training will resume tomorrow, and now the Seigaku regulars are probably at the 14th floor playing the Kinect."

Pakura listened to the news with interest, "Oh, come on, there is no need for revenge. I wasn't even injured. Too bad, though, I can't watch those matches personally."

"That's because you, like all of us, are stunt people. If you aren't one, you might have broken your bones, or worse, your neck. I've heard of people who fell off the railing and died because they broke their neck." said Chris. "Speaking of death, I heard in the news today that a 24 year old woman who ordered diet pills from the Internet. And guess what happened?"

"What?" said William.

"She died." Chris replied. "Talk about risking your life to look good."

William snorted. "Yeah. So many girls are trying to look thin. If you want to look thin, then go on a diet or exercise! Talk about taking the easy way! They are simply too lazy. But not our princess, of course." He said, casting a proud look at Pakura. Pakura smiled. Meanwhile, at the twelfth floor, Derek finally formulated a plan, and told everyone (note the group included Atobe.). However, the plan depended the transmitter Philip has invented is as good as he had claimed. Philip immediately went to his room and got the transmitter. He handed a small mike to Derek. Derek spoke into the mike. "Hello." His voice also came out of the transmitter perfectly and clearly. Derek grinned. Since he's the captain of the Drama Club as well, he can actually imitate voices. Ryoma saw his expressions and smiled. "I'll leave it up to you the, Derek." said Ryoma, clutching to Atobe's hand. Atobe gave him an affectionate squeeze in return. Derek nodded, and went to the elevator of the sixth floor. When he arrived, no one was there. There was a huge fireplace in the lounge, perfect for cold days. He wedged the transmitter up the chimney and out of sight. He then quickly wiped his hands on his shirt, and went to the twelfth floor to wash the soot off his hands. That evening, while Seigaku were having their dinner as usual in at the sixth floor, a voice came loud and clear from the lounge next to the dining room. "Hello, hello, hello." It said. The regulars froze, and stopped eating their dinner. Kaidoh turned pale. "There's someone in our floor! I heard a voice!"

"So did I." said Inui. Fuji placed a finger on his lips. "Sshhh!" he said. "Listen!" They all stopped their movements and sat there very tense, listening.

"Hello, hello, hello." came the voice again.

"There it is!" cried Kaidoh.

"Do you think it's one of the champions trying to prank us again?" said Fuji.

"No. I injured their vice-captain just now. It's unlikely they will try anything, because they have seen what I am capable of." said Tezuka.

"Yeah, I know, she was probably injured badly." said Fuji. "But I wish you didn't do it to her, Tezuka, because she's quite a cutie."

"Yeah." said Momoshiro. "Winning her heart would be better than making her fall off the railing." Tezuka frowned at him.

"Shut up!" cried the voice shrilly. "All of you just shut up!"

The regulars turned to the source of the voice. There was nothing. "Let's check our floor." said Tezuka. The others nodded, getting up from the table. They searched behind the sofa and behind the curtains and even searched their room, but they found no intruder. Then came the voice once again, soft and spooky this time. "Regulars….revenge….." They all jumped when they heard the words spoken. "It's a ghost." said Kaidoh, turning pale. "Heaven help us!" cried Momoshiro. "Regulars…revenge….." the voice came again. The regulars screamed and they fled the sixth floor, punching the elevator button, and tripping over themselves to get in the elevator. They spent the rest of the night at the rooftop, shivering at the cold and the creepy 'ghost' at their floor. Have karma come to get them already?

Meanwhile, the champions and Atobe are laughing their heads off. Ryoma buried his face in Atobe's chest to muffle his laughter. Atobe had his arms wrapped around Ryoma, and he was clutching (read hugging) to Ryoma like a support and wished he had another hand to wipe away the tears that were starting to flow down his cheeks. "That was sweet revenge, Derek!" said Atobe. "Yeah, too bad Princess isn't here to see this. William and Chris went to see her, and they haven't got back yet." Just then, the elevator stopped at their floor, and William and Christopher stepped out. "Ah, speak of the devil." said Ryoma. "How is our vice-captain?" William waved a hand casually. "Oh, the princess is fine. Not even a single broken bone." Atobe let out a low whistle. "She has high endurance." He commented. Then he frowned. "Why did you call her a princess?" Ryoma wrapped an arm around Atobe's neck, and said, "Allow me to explain then. You know we are the members of the Chess Pieces, right?" Atobe nodded. "Well, our headquarters is actually a castle."Atobe's mouth dropped open. "Yes, a castle, Keigo. It used to be owned by a rich boy called Josh Richter, the former leader of the Chess Pieces. However, I defeated him in the ITM, and I took whatever he had as punishment to what he almost did to our vice-captain when she was 5, but she told me she was saved by another boy. In this castle, we had a huge room full of treasures. Since she was good at leadership, one of the strongest champions, and she has poise, grace and beauty, I gave her the title, 'Princess'. Since then, many people started calling her 'princess' as if it's her real title!" Atobe nodded. "I see. So you are the one who gave her the title." Ryoma smiled, and nodded. "It suits her quite well." Ryoma grinned. "Thanks, Keigo. I'm going to visit Pakura now, want to come with me?" Atobe nodded. They bade the others goodnight and they went to the Training Center hospital, hand in hand. Speaking of which, William once mentioned he and Pakura punished members by locking them in this one scary room in their house, where they live together. Now he thought of it, the house where they live in is the castle, and the one scary room is probably the dungeon.

No wonder most of the champions are scared of the captain and the vice-captain.

"Princess isn't a bad title for her. In fact it's perfect!" said Atobe.

"Of course, some of the members are old enough to work, and they bring part of the salary to the castle, so that our riches won't deplete so easily. Oh, and just to let you know, the princess knows how to drive and she even owns her own car." Atobe gaped. The vice-captain can drive? He composed himself and said, "So I assume she drives you everywhere?" Ryoma smiled and nodded. "You are absolutely right. As a reward…." Not caring about who might pass them, he kissed Atobe on the lips. Atobe was startled for a second before he returned the kiss torridly, wrapping his hands around Ryoma's waist.

Unbeknownst to them, someone did pass them. Well, not exactly. But he is within earshot of Atobe and Ryoma's conversation. Fuji Syusuke heard everything, from the headquarters to the riches to Pakura being given the title 'Princess'. He hurried back to the roof to tell Inui what he had heard. 'Princess, eh?' he thought, smiling. 'I wonder how the princess is faring with her fall. According to William, the light ITM is going to be held near the end of the camp. Perhaps we could formulate a plan to stop Ryoma from letting the other know the truth…using the princess.' He smiled, and pressed the elevator button.

Omake (School life of a champion)

**D: Hello, I'm Derek, the prankster for this chapter. Today, Chris and I are going to talk about the school life of the champions.**

**C: To give you as much information as possible, we have chosen to talk about Pakura and Ryoma, since both of them are known to have gone to the same school. **

**D: In New Day Academy, both Ryoma and Pakura are part of the IT Crowd, the beautiful, popular people. Pakura is one of the leading IT Girls in the school, as Ryoma is one of the leading IT boys. Really beautiful people like Pakura and Ryoma, don't ever go anywhere alone. They always have this sort of entourage that follows them around. Pakura's consist of a bunch of other girls, most of them who are in the sports club. They are all really pretty, with long hair and breasts and stuff, like her. **

**C: Ryoma's consist of a bunch of junior boys who are all on the tennis club with him. They are all really cute, and they are all passionate with tennis, like Ryoma. Some of them are even in the Chess Pieces, and most of them are in the Bishop ranking. **

**D: However, they prefer to hang out with each other because they knew each other so well, and also, they look to each other as equals. They are never bored when they are together, talking about various subjects, mostly tennis.**

**C: If you go to New Day Academy, if you ever pass by Ryoma or Pakura during break, lunchtime, or even once on the way to History lesson- they are always surrounded by friends. If you think you can ambush them when they get to the toilet, but no, they even went there with an escort of five or six people. **

**R&P: (From off set) It's annoying, you know! Do you think we like it?**

**D: Well, they are annoyed by this because they have no privacy.**

**R&P: (From off-set) Bingo….**

**C: At least they are never alone…..**

**R&P: HEY!**

**C: Ok, ok, sorry. So in academics, they are actually top of their classes. In fact, all of us are sort of geniuses. You can find all of us at Accelerated Programme classes, because all of us are honor students. Hey, for a fun fact: Ryoma is vice-president of the student Council, while Pakura was president, although Pakura said her reason was because of someone….but she'll never tell us….unless she wins the poll, maybe I'll find out sooner (grins evilly) **

**P: (from off-set) Hey! **

**D: He's just kidding, Pakura. Anyway, as a reminder to our readers, do continue to vote on whose story do you want to hear. Ryoma's will definitely appear, but near the end of the story. For Pakura's, it depends on whether you want to hear the story earlier or later. It's up to you!**

**C: Yes, do vote in your reviews. **

**D&C: See you in the next chapter!**

**BP: Please note, I only had an hour to write this and also, I am writing while trying to watch HunterxHunter, Please excuse me if there are any mistakes or I wrote badly, or if I'm rushing. **


	17. A Champion Tells It Like It Is

**BP: Just got my head out of homework. Let's get the characters to read out the poll results: **

Mini-Drama:

**Jude: (Takes out piece of paper): So here are the results: **

**Ryoma- 2 votes**

**Pakura- 2 votes**

**Philip: 2 votes**

**William- 2 votes**

**Tyler: 2 votes**

**Derek-1 vote**

**Christopher- 1 vote**

**Let's see what the characters have to say.**

**Derek: I didn't expect people to vote for me. **

**Christopher: Good news for the fans, though: Pakura's background will be revealed in the next chapter because the author is sure you're tired of waiting and she hates to let people wait. (Evil grin) So, it means the omake will be dedicated to her. Be happy!**

**Pakura: OI! I'm so going to kill you, author! How can I be happy when my background will be revealed? Also (reads omake script) Argh! My first love's name will be revealed in this omake! **

**William: Calm down, Princess. Without her, you wouldn't even be in this story!**

**Ryoma: Even if I lose the poll, mine will appear in the story line, because I'm the main character. **

**Tyler: The poll won't close until there is a clear winner. I hope William wins.**

**William: Hey!**

**Tyler: Just kidding, Will. Anyway, we must have a clear winner for this poll so that the author will know who to pick to reveal his background. Note I didn't say her, because Pakura's will definitely appear in the storyline, as decided by the author while she was reading her novel.**

**Pakura: Who decides things while they read anyway?**

**William: Apparently, the author does. Well, let's get on with the story!**

The Seigaku regulars gritted their teeth when they found out about Ryoma's property and riches, and according to the research done, all they found out was he had a total personal worth which included real estate property and the palace's art collection, which added up to more than a hundred billion dollars (thanks to Philips's skills in technology). Darn it! They didn't know he was powerful and rich. Also, they were intrigued when they found out Pakura was the castle's princess. They did agree they have to come up with a plan using her, though Fuji asked if he could still have her after their plan is accomplished because he had taken a liking to her. Well, who didn't? She is very attractive, tall and curvaceous and she is smart and athletic. They said yes, of course….provided if they could think up of a good plan to sabotage Ryoma first.

Meanwhile, the champions (except Pakura) met as usual for breakfast. They were about to get ready for training, when one of the servers came with a note that said training is cancelled for the day because the coaches are going to be busy preparing the plans for the light version of the ITM. It will resume two days later, which means they will end the camp two days later as well. In a way, this is bad news because they wanted to see Seigaku go down earlier. But oh well, what can they do? Christopher had an idea and said, "Hey, I know! Why don't we film an episode of my show here?" All of them did not need to think hard to know what he meant. Christopher had his own TV show called "A champion tells it like it is". It used to be a public access show, which for one episode, Chris already had to pay $200 (American money) if you include the cost of tape and all. The champions usually helped him with his show. The previous episode, which was filmed before they came to Japan, was a spoof of the movie, The Blair Witch Project, which was about some kids who went out into the woods and end up disappearing. All that's found of them is film footage and some piles of sticks. Only instead of the Blair Witch Project, Chris' was called the Green Witch Project. He took a hand held camera down to Washington Square Park with William and filmed the tourists who went up to them and asked if they knew how to get to Green Witch Village (It's actually Greenwich Village-you're not supposed to pronounce the w in Greenwich. But people from out of town always pronounce it wrong). Anyway, as tourists came up and ask them which way to Green Witch Village, they started screaming and ran away in terror. All that was left of them was a pile of MetroCards (which Pakura locked them in the dungeon for a week out of anger because they used her cards without permission and they were dirtied by the ground.)

Of course, because the show was so popular, the show is now on a proper channel network, and he didn't need to pay at all to film the show. The people running the channel company actually paid HIM. His show is as highly rated as Sixty Minutes. The champions do help him film the show, sometimes even appearing in a few episodes, but ever since Pakura first appeared in his show (It was around episode 7. He started his own show after he won the ITM), there was a guy named Terry calling in and telling Chris to ask Pakura to take off her clothing….ON AIR! He sent stuff to his care of the show, CDs and stuffed animals and things like that, and writes that there'll be more where that came from if Chris can get his vice-captain to strip on air. So what Pakura does is, (or what Chris told her to do, because she nearly broke down when he told her) she does take it off alright, but then she throws a blanket over herself and kicks her feet under it and goes, "Look, Terry, you freak, I've taken off my clothing! Chris thanks you for the CDs, sucker!"

That angered Terry so much he started wandering around the Village looking for Chris. Everyone knew Chris lives (before he joined the Chess Pieces) in the Village, since he once filmed a popular episode where he interviewed Ryoma for his recent popularity in school. One day, a few weeks ago, Terry actually found Pakura and Ryoma in the park and started chasing them around, waving twenty dollar bills and trying to get Pakura to take off her clothing. This was very entertaining (to Ryoma at least), and hardly scary at all, especially because they just ran right up to Washington Square South and Thompson Street, where the Sixth Precinct has been parking the enormous trailer so they can secretly spy on drug dealers. Ryoma told the police that this weird guy was assaulting them, and you should see it: About twenty undercover guys (even a guy they thought was an old homeless man asleep on the bench) jumped on Terry and dragged him, screaming, off to the mental ward!

Anyway, today, Chris is going to film an episode dedicated to life in the Training Center. He's going to call it "Life in Japan." Just as he was preparing to film, the elevator dinged, and Atobe stepped out. The person with him was…..

"Pakura!" Ryoma cried. "You're out!"

Pakura smiled. "Of course, I am." Atobe went to hug his Ryoma. "So, what are you champions doing now, ahn?" he said. Chris told him about the show he is filming, and he is going to dedicate today's episode to their life in Japan. Atobe nodded. "So, do you need help?" Chris nodded. "I think we can interview you because you are a typical Japanese teenager, and we can find out more about life in Japan from you." The Champions nodded. "I know!" said Tyler. "We can also film the champions training for other things besides tennis." Chris nodded, and turned to his fellow champions. "Could you bring the things you need to showcase your talent?" They nodded, and went to their rooms to take the said items. When they came out again, Chris took his camera, and said, "Alright, let's go!" they first went to the 18th floor, where they specialize in knife-throwing. Tyler turned to Pakura. "Alright, Princess, show your stuff!" Pakura took out her throwing knives and set the targets. She took one of the knives and threw it. Bulls-eye! She took another one and threw it. Spot on! She took a third one and threw it with a flick of her wrist. Right in the middle! As she was throwing, Chris was narrating in the camera (He put it on the tripod) "As you all know, we 8 have been sent to Japan to attend a training camp. Even when we have off days, our vice-captain Pakura Goldstein can be seen practicing with her knives. You've seen her throw, she never misses, and so you wouldn't want to mess with her while she got her knives."

They then went to the 16th floor, where they specialize in painting. While Tyler was painting, Chris said in the mike "Tyler Clearwater, our favorite artistic champion. When he is not training, he can be seen relaxing and painting away when the muses move him." Ryoma muttered to Atobe, "If I ever meet Tyler's muses, I'll give them such swift kick in the togas they won't know what hit them." Atobe's lips trembled, trying not to laugh. Finally, Tyler showed a picture of a forest blooming in the sunlight, and showed it to the camera. Then, they went to the computer room at the 22nd floor, where they specialize in technology. "Philip Robinson, technology genius, although not training, his brains are always at work." Then, Philip began talking about his recent success in creating a device that can actually read minds of the others and even create the exact picture of a memory the person might be thinking about at the moment. They then went to the 2nd floor, where there were swimming lessons. Jude changed to his swimming trunks and he jumped from the 10m board. Chris filed his dive and him swimming gracefully to the other end of the swimming pool in 6 seconds flat. "Jude Harrison, champion swimmer. He dedicates his time to practice his strokes when he is outside tennis. If you want to challenge him in swimming, do think twice." It went on until finally it is Ryoma's turn. He just knew what to do. He went to the computer matching game of the plants at the 15th floor, and he started playing the game, while they filmed. He ended up beating the high score. "Echizen Ryoma, Captain of the Champions, he can be seen polishing up his knowledge when he is not playing tennis. He is our hardworking captain, who will never be complacent." Then they went to the obstacle course, where all of them started doing stunts. Chris said, "Of course, out stunt people will also practice their stunts here." Finally, they went to a room with couches. Now, let's interview one of our Japan players. Please welcome, Atobe Keigo!" Atobe flicked his hair and sat down on the seat next to him.

"So, Atobe, what do you think of the champions coming to Japan to train with you all?" said Chris.

"Ore-sama is honored because with their abilities, we will be able to improve and learn from our mistakes."

"So what is the best thing in Japan so far?"

"I should say the gadgets. Japanese people have invented a lot of extraordinary things here. There is even an ice cream that wouldn't melt for half an hour in here. Also, in Japan toilets, there are devices attached to play music so help you relax and calm you."

"That sounds fascinating."

"It is, Chris. There are even dolls that resemble you. All you need to do is to send a photo of yourself to the company, and two months later, a mini you is at your doorstep. It can even mimic your voice due to the device attached to it."

"Wow! I should buy one myself sometime."

"Yes. Japan has a lot of shopping attractions. I especially like to go to Harajuku to go shopping. Personally, the items there are exquisite."

"Of course, I believe Japan tennis players have their own hobbies too. Care to tell us?"

"I like at fly-fishing and reading, mostly Shakespeare; although I also likes reading Goethe. I also enjoy listening to classical music, which happens to be my favorite genre, and watching European films. "

"Wow! You should introduce those to me sometime."

"With pleasure." With that, the interview ended.

Later, they were editing the video they had taken…well, scratch that. Philip was editing it. The rest just stood there and watch. The filming has taken the whole day, and everyone was tired. They ate supper and went back to their rooms, Ryoma giving Atobe a goodnight kiss on the lips. Pakura was nowhere to be seen, presumably going to bed first. Ryoma went to bed, feeling slightly worried for his vice-captain, but then again, she can take care of herself. He wondered what he would do tomorrow. Maybe he could spend the whole day with his Keigo. With a small smile, he fell asleep.

Omake (The nightmares I face (Pakura))

**Pakura drained the last of the liquor. She had been on the roof, polishing off the fifth bottle in the hour. When she drained her last bottle, she stood up shakily, and went to the elevator. However, she found someone leaning against the wall. Due to her excellent eyesight, she didn't need to take another step to find out who it was. **

**The boy had emerald green eyes and dark brown hair.**

"**Natsuhi Davenport?" Pakura gasped. "You're…" She was surprised to find her first doubles partner and the male player that represented the ITM along with her. What is he doing here?**

**Natsuhi stepped out of his hiding place and fell into step beside her. "You are going to damage your body if you continue drinking that much a day." There is a hint of disapproval in his voice that made Pakura flinch.**

"**Well, I don't care anymore, I won for you, lived your life for you, and is this all the thanks I get? You weren't even there for me!" Pakura spat at her former doubles partner, then realizing what she said, wished she could take her words back as Natsuhi looked lost and sad. She wanted nothing more than to give him a passionate kiss on the lips, but they've come so far now, not touching, that Pakura felt that she mustn't break the silent wall. Yes, she came this far with drink. But how long would she last?**

**Natsuhi raised a hand as if grab Pakura's wrist, as if to ask her to wait, but then dropped it again as she pressed for the elevator. Pakura watched Natsuhi, wearing the New Day Academy boys' tennis regulars' outfit, out of the corner of her eye from her position in front of the elevator, when he reached out, places his hands on either side of her face. She widened her eyes. What is he..?**

**Natsuhi gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, making Pakura sigh in contentment. It was paradise she never felt with anyone else, and she believed she won't feel it with anyone else. No one knew, but they were more than doubles partners. They were partners for life. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "Stay with me."**

**Natsuhi nodded. "Always."**

**Abruptly, Pakura sat up, panting, disregarding the blanket, which has somehow flipped to the wrong direction, and how it is bunched up around her upper body. She felt the liquor come up. She barely made it to the toilet before the liquor came up again. By the time she vomited the liquor she consumed all out, she felt miserable- utterly miserable. She went back to her room and punched the glass bottle. It shattered into pieces. The blood dribbled from her cuts steadily, staining the pink carpet. She wiped away stray tears, staining her face with blood. It was that dream again. She dropped to the floor, letting the tears fall and stain the pink carpet. **

**She looked up to see Natsuhi, dressed in the New Day regulars outfit, the outfit they buried him in, look at her.**

**For a moment she forgot how to breathe. He was standing in front of the red star, called Natsuhiboshi, the star he was named for. **

**Natsuhi raised his left arm, and gave her a very gentle look, the same gentle look he sported when they promised to be together forever, and even carved their names in the tree trunk, Pakura's lips trembled as she watched him point to the red star. She could almost hear the lullaby that they always sang.**

**Tears are streaming down Pakura's face, but her attention was more on Natsuhi. He pointed to the red star, and gave Pakura a reassuring and comforting smile. His eyes are telling Pakura. I'll wait for you up there, so that we can go together, as partners once more.**

**As Natsuhi's ghost disappears, Pakura finished the sentence. No matter how long it will be.**

**That night, Pakura started crying again.**

**Unbeknownst to her, Ryoma was outside her door, listening to her quietly sobbing. He frowned, wondering what is wrong with his best friend. He'll have to postpone his plans with Keigo if he has to. He will get some answers from her.**

**BP: Anyway, I was watching HunterxHunter while writing this, and also, I only had an hour, so I think I am rushing a bit. Anyway, next chapter, it will be Pakura's background, so stay tuned! **


	18. Pakura's Story

**BP: Hello, everyone! This is the moment you've all been waiting for! Please note, I was trying to watch Beezlebub at the same time as I type this story. Most of the story is in flashbacks, and this is where you'll find our Pakura's background. She had quite an angsty background unfortunately. So, this chapter is dedicated to our favorite (and only) female champion, Pakura!**

Mini-Drama

**Jude: Alright! Here are the results:**

**Ryoma- 2 votes**

**Pakura- 2 votes**

**Philip: 2 votes**

**William- 2 votes**

**Tyler: 3 votes**

**Derek-1 vote**

**Christopher- 1 vote**

**Winner, TYLER!**

**Tyler: ….My ITM is going to be explained….**

**William: (laughs) Yes! Mine doesn't need to be revealed! **

**Ryoma: Yay! Tyler, our best friend, is going down with us! Right, Pakura?**

**Pakura: Yup! Our favorite artistic champion, Tyler, wins the poll fair and square!**

**Christopher: Everyone had at least one vote. Except….**

**Derek: Jude. I didn't know no one loves him**

**Pakura: Or maybe because they knew he was a playboy. **

**Jude: Hey! That hurt. And you beat up the girlfriends I bring to the castle as well. You even locked them in the dungeon!**

**Pakura: That's because your girlfriends intruded in my room and messed up with my stuff without my permission. I never forgot about the time they messed up with my dollhouse, and unwrapped the dollhouse size present boxes that took me 5 weeks to wrap up. They even messed with my dressing table, mind you. They are lucky they are still alive, albeit in a coma. **

**Jude: They like cute things. Cut them some slack.**

**Pakura: No. **

**Ryoma: Anyway, let's get back to the story! Tyler's ITM will appear a couple of omakes later. And so to let you know, the story continues from the omake. Enjoy the story!**

**Pakura: While the reader is trying to watch Beezlebub, write and read a novel at the same time…..**

The next morning, during breakfast, Tyler spoke up. "Huh? Where's Pakura?" The champions stopped eating and looked around. Sure enough, Pakura was missing from the breakfast table. Ryoma thought about the muffled crying he heard in Pakura's room. "I'll go check on her. When Keigo comes in, tell him I'm attending to a few important matters." He got up, and went to Pakura's door. Surprisingly, it was (very) slightly ajar. He pushed the door wider, and an alcohol stench hits his nose. 'Is Pakura concocting medicine that is mainly alcohol?' he thought, and then his eyes landed on broken glass bottles. It was almost certain to be white liquor, he recognized the printing. He found his best friend, asleep on the table, and next to her were empty white liquor bottles! Ryoma ran over to her and shook her awake. "Pakura? Pakura? Oi, wake up!" Pakura lifted her head up, and wiped her eyes. "Oh? Hey, Ryoma. What's up?"

Ryoma frowned at her. "Don't what's up me. Look around you." Pakura did, and mentally slapped herself on the forehead. It seems like the captain has found out her addiction to alcohol. "I only want to ask this…..what has made you like this?" he whispered the question, as if he was desperate, as if not knowing would kill him. Pakura shook her head. "It's no use telling you, you had enough on your mind already." That's when Ryoma put his foot down. "Fine. Let's arm wrestle. If you win, you won't have to tell. If I win, you will tell me everything." Pakura smiled. "Sure." Obviously, Ryoma won, and smiling, he sat down on a chair across form her and said, "Now, you'll have to tell me everything."

Pakura closed her eyes, and began her story:

Pakura (age 5)

_A little girl, around age five, was trying to practice throwing knives. She wanted to prove to her family that she was not just a girl. Her parents were disappointed that she wasn't born a male. She just wanted to prove she was worthy of the Goldstein family. She threw one of the knives and missed the target by several feet. She slumped to the ground with a huff. "Man, those things are heavy." she mumbled._

_A voice spoke up from behind her. "It sure is, babe." Pakura turned around, frightened. "Who's there?" she said, her voice shaky. A boy, around a year older than her, but he cleared 4 foot 5 already, stepped out. "Now, what would a cute girl like you be doing in this empty training ground alone?" he smiled, leaning in towards her. Pakura backed to the tree trunk. "I'm Josh Richter. Why don't you go over to my place for some fun? I am sure being alone is boring." Pakura shook her head. "No thanks." Josh pressed closer to her, and whispered in her ear. "Come on, I won't hurt you, promise." Pakura watched in horror as he reached out a hand and stripped off her jacket. He laid a hand on her bare arm, and slid his hand up her arm._

_That's when Pakura started to scream._

"_Leave her alone." said another voice. Before Josh could turn, a tennis ball flew towards him and hit his face, knocking him out. "You alright?" said the boy, holding out a hand. He had dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. "Thank you." said Pakura, taking his hand. He started to walk away. "Er….may…I know your name?"_

"_My name?" the boy turned back and smiled. "It's Natsuhi Davenport." Pakura looked at the tennis racquet. So he played tennis, huh. Pakura smiled slightly as he walked away._

Pakura (age 7, when she first met Ryoma)

_Pakura hit the tennis ball against the wall repeatedly. The ball kept hitting the same spot. She was determined to meet this boy again, this boy that saved her. She had been reading tennis magazines and watching matches on TV so that she could learn some moves. She wanted, no, needed to meet this boy again, even if she has to learn this sport. She missed the ball and the ball flew, and hit a person on the forehead. Pakura ran towards the boy who had fallen. He seemed to be knocked out._

_Pakura sighed, and searched him. She found his wallet with a small address card on it. She half-carried, half dragged him to the said address on the card, struggling to carry her tennis equipment at the same time. She knocked on the door, and a woman with a brown bun answered. 'Yes, can I- Ryoma! What happened?" she asked Pakura, as they carried him to the bedroom. "Sorry, auntie, I accidentally knocked him out with my tennis ball." Pakura said sheepishly._

"_I'll take my leave now." Pakura bowed, and was about to leave when she heard someone call "Wait!" she turned. It was the boy. "Mum, I watched her practice tennis just now! She had amazing accuracy and strength!" said the boy excitedly. _

"_Who hits with accuracy and strength, Ryoma?" said a man, walking in. His eyes fell on Pakura "Oh! Look, a guest! Who are you?" Pakura bowed. "My name's Pakura Goldstein, uncle."_

"_Such nice manners too!" exclaimed the man. "So, who were you talking about just now?"_

"_Her, dad!" said Ryoma._

"_Hmm, really? Let's have a match now, Pakura!"_

_Pakura smiled. "Anytime."_

_After the match…_

"_Ryoma's right. You do hit with strength and accuracy. Who taught you tennis?"_

"_No one. I learned it just by reading magazines and watching TV."_

"_I see. How would you like to come by my house every day and train? I can see potential in you?"_

_Pakura nodded. "Ok!" _

Pakura (age 8, first day in tennis club at Bellport Grade School)

_Ryoma and Pakura were chatting to each other excitedly. Ryoma waved a hand while talking, and accidentally hit a 10 year old big sized boy. The said boy immediately grabbed his shirt and lifted him up, demanding for an apology. Ryoam smirked, and said, "Why don't we settle this with a match?" The big boy smirked. "Anytime you're ready, half pint."_

_Of course, Ryoma won 6-0. The boy was so angry he threw his racquet towards Ryoma. But, someone blocked it in time. The boy stepped on the courts and said coldly, "Urquhart, 40 laps around the courts now!" The boy nodded, and went to run his laps. Pakura immediately recognized the boy. It was Natsuhi Davenport._

_Natsuhi's eyes fell on her, and smiled. "So, we meet again."_

Pakura (age 10)

"_Hey, Pakura, did you know?" said Natsuhi._

"_Know what?" said Pakura._

"_When a person play doubles with another, he and the partner will have a special bond. This bond allows them to understand each other and nothing will keep them apart. They will unite to be one person when they play tennis together. Not only that, they may be able to apply this teamwork in real life as well."_

"_It sounds cool!" said Pakura._

"_Do you want to try it?" said Natsuhi._

"_Yeah!" Pakura said, nodding. _

"_Paku…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Let's be together….forever…"_

_Pakura nodded enthusiastically, saying, "Ok!"_

Pakura (age 15, the picking of the ITM players)

_By then, Natsuhi and Pakura were well known to be the best doubles player in America. They understood each other too well, and can even finish each other's sentences without hesitation._

"_Welcome, to the 68__th__ Intensive Tenisa Matches! Our school was lucky enough to be picked to participate in this ITM. Now, ladies first!" said the principal, picking out a name from the glass ball. She opened the paper and read, "Pakura Goldstein!" Pakura went up the stage, trembling. "Now, for the boys!" she picked out the paper from another glass ball, and read out, "Natsuhi Davenport!" Pakura widened her eyes in horror._

_They were picked together. _

Pakura (age 15, when she was about to be launched to the arena)

"_I'm scared, Ryoga." said Pakura, hugging her mentor. "I don't want to go to the launch area. I don't want to play against Natsuhi" She was dressed in her school's tennis outfit, and her tennis equipment is ready. Ryoga hugged her back, and said, "Shh, it's alright, sweetheart. Don't worry, just run when you hear the gong, and observe others from your hiding place. Then, after you gathered enough info, you challenge them, and use the info to your advantage." He kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck, Pakura."_

_Pakura trembled, and stepped to the launch area. The glass closed, separating her from her mentor. The plate is lifting, sending her to the arena._

Pakura (in the ITM)

_Pakura dodged fireballs and ran. She was sure it's a trap to make sure the players get together and fight. She widened her eyes at the person in front of her and tried to change direction, but it was too late. The force field erupted, and she was trapped in with the boy. She had to play against him if she wanted to get out. She didn't want to play against this boy._

_Because the boy was Natsuhi._

"_I guess this is it, Paku." said Natsuhi. "Let's play all out, and have no regrets." Just then, he coughed. "What's wrong, Natsuhi?" Natsuhi smiled. "Nothing." He wiped his hand on the tree trunk. Unbeknownst to her, there was blood on the spot where Natsuhi wiped his blood on. "Well, I'll serve then."_

_The match was an intense one. Both of them were trying to find out who was stronger among the two. They were playing against the person that supported them, backed them up, and this time, they did not have each other's backs, because they are playing against the person that had their backs all along. The match was silent, only with the hitting of balls with racquets. Neither wanted to give in._

_Finally, Natsuhi won 7-6. Pakura was on her knees, panting. She was about to say something, when something warm dripped on her face. _

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_She took a finger and wiped off the substance. It was BLOOD! She looked up in alarm, only to find Natsuhi coughing out blood. Natsuhi's racquet fell to the floor with a loud thump. The sound it made as it touched the hard ground delivered a dreadful sense of finality. The boy's body followed his racket on the ground. Pakura jumped over the net, and caught him. His hand reached out to touch Pakura's face. "Sing." He whispered. _

_Pakura composed herself, before singing the first thing she could think up of._

"_Natsuhiboshi, Why are you so red._

_Because, I had a sad dream last night._

_My eyes are red from the tears I've shed._

_Swollen as I cried._

_Natsuhiboshi, Why've you lost your way?_

_I'm searching for a love whom I've lost afar._

_He can't be found, though I've searched all day._

_My sad dreams come once more."_

"_You have to win." said Natsuhi, giving her wrist an iron grip._

"_I will. Going to for the both of us now."_

"_Live life to the fullest, Pakura."_

"_Yes."_

"_Can you do me one last favor?"_

"_Anything." She said, starting to cry, because she's losing her doubles partner. She hugged him tighter, as if she could keep him here just by hugging him. _

_"Kiss me."_

_Pakura leaned forward, pressing her lips to Natsuhi's chilled ones in a sweet chaste kiss. "Please, stay with me." Pakura begged. "I can't…." she sobbed, unable to finish her sentence. Natsuhi smiled, and said, "Always." Then, he closed his eyes, and his cannon fires. Pakura threw her racquet across the court and started crying. They would want her to clear out now, so that they could collect his body, to be cleaned up, redressed and shipped in a simple wooden box back to New Day Academy. She hated the ITM. They took Natsuhi away. But what kept her going was her promise to win. _

_It's not until she'd won the last match, despite the fact that she had yips, she wouldn't give up, for Natsuhi until she was alone in the room, she allowed herself to break down. To cry. To be weak. To not be Natsuhi's partner anymore. _

_Tennis isn't the same. The matches she played after Natsuhi's proved it well. There's emptiness on the other side of the court that hasn't been there before. Singles had never seemed so lonely. Suddenly, doubles wasn't for her. And neither was tennis. Because tennis has taken Natsuhi away from her. She felt like she's once more five years old, but this time, without tennis or Natsuhi to save her. She has become lost. _

_Natsuhi would say it was time Pakura became independent. She didn't have to be his support any longer. Unfortunately, the only thing Pakura wanted was to play tennis against the one who had showed her how tennis and could help her in life, and what it meant to be alive. Some say time will help. But she didn't know if it would help her or not. Because if Natsuhi had never left that arena then neither had she._

_After her victory, she had nightmares._

_His smile, his laugh, his emerald green eyes, , how she cried, how he held her, how he whispered things softly into her ear, how he looked at her, how he told her they were forever. They all haunted her dreams, torturing her. Because the dreams made them seem close, when really they couldn't be farther away. The dreams made them seem real, when really the only reality she had was one where Natsuhi was dead._

_She drank to forget at this point. She did this because of the traumatic experiences and memories of the ITM. Also, because the chances of winning tend to be skewed in favor of the Chess Pieces, she had to watch the players whom she have personally trained as a mentor die._

"I took up the role of president for Natsuhi's sake. I learned how to play the musical instruments he loved so much while he was alive. I lived for his sake, for him. I ran away from home after I won, because I can't stand my family, who is always so controlling of my life. In fact, they even arranged marriage with Josh Richter at some point. After that, you were chosen. I trained you very hard, because I didn't want to lose you too. Ryoga had graduated by the time, and also, I saw no hope on Rachel, the girl who always stutters and she had no sense of direction and her posture was all wrong, so I placed all my hopes on you. I trained you even harder when I realized Josh was inside as well. I needed you to come back alive, to get your revenge. I then forced you to train with me as doubles, because I felt so lonely on the court. One day, there was an explosion in one of the malls, and I heard it killed my entire family. I had no one left. No one needs me here. " Pakura said, wiping the tears off her face. "No one needs me." she started wailing. "God has given me everything, but all I needed was someone to love me! I was so jealous of you! What did you have that I didn't?" She stood up, and shook Ryoma by his shoulders. "No one needs me here." She stopped shaking him and started sobbing. Ryoma brought Pakura to his chest. "I do. I need you. So does the other champions. Right, William?" he shouted to the door. The door opened, revealing the other six champions. The other six, looking solemn, gathered in a circle and gave Pakura a group hug. "We all are family. We love you. We need you" They said in unison. Pakura accepted a napkin handed to her by Tyler. Pakura let out a small smile. "Thank you, everyone!"

As Pakura was dragged over to the karaoke center by her friends, she silently smiled. 'Maybe, they are my family.'

Omake (Poll)

**William: Hello, everyone, as you can see, after hearing Pakura's story, she just needed someone to love!**

**Tyler: That's right! Now, we let you fans vote for her boyfriend!**

**William: Oh she had some criteria though.**

**Tyler: 1. He must be older than her**

**William: 2. They must not be the ones that believe Seigaku's lie **

**Tyler: Erm…only Rikkaidai didn't believe that big fat whooper of a lie, including some from Hyotei, like Atobe, but he's taken.**

**William: Well, They can vote for high schoolers right? **

**Tyler: But Pakura's one of the oldest in our team! I mean, she's the same age as Sanada, Yukimura, Tezuka, Fuji…**

**William: Don't mention the Seigaku players' names in front of me!**

**Tyler: Ok, ok. Anyway, do vote in your reviews!**

**William: The author is aiming for 90 reviews for this story, so she'll update faster if she gets 90 reviews!**

**Tyler: And do tell us what you think of this chapter!**

**William: Do note, she was watching Beezlebub, reading and writing at the same time, so it may be bad. Wait, what's that laughter?**

**Tyler: She's turned back to the funny part in episode 8 , where the boy asked the girl to become the baby's mother. **

**William: Oh, I love that part, too!**

**Tyler: Anyway, do vote in your reviews**

**William: And help make the review number become 90!**

**T&W: See you in the next chapter!**


	19. ITM Champions New Coach!

Mini-Drama

**Jude: (take out paper): Hey, look Pakura! See who the fans matched you up with!**

**Pakura: (runs over and snatches paper) What? Let me see:**

**Yukimura: 2 votes, **

**Sanada: 2 votes,**

**Anyone of the ITM champions: 1 vote**

**Ryoga: 1 vote. **

**What? These guys are all the same age or younger than me! I want someone older!**

**Tyler: (laughs) Wow! They apparently think you should date boys around the same age as you!**

**Pakura: But I want older boys (puppy eyes) **

**Tyler: Well, the only one is your mentor, Ryoga.**

**Pakura: (thinking) Actually, I won't mind dating Ryoga. But it's up to the fans -.-**

**Ryoma: Anyway, the fans apparently forgotten you are going for older boys.**

**William: It's probably because she's one of the oldest people in the story. Also, Natsuhi was 2 years older than her, right?**

**Pakura: Yes…Argh! I want an older guy. At least one or two years apart! Same age…really doesn't suit my taste. What if the guy is younger than me by birthday?**

**William: Ok, ok! Anyway, please continue voting! The poll won't close until there is a clear winner. Hopefully it won't; be someone younger than you, birthday or whatever.**

**Pakura: Yup (smiling) I'm counting on you readers!**

Pakura's throat choked at the question William asked. "Why don't you find someone else?" Pakura couldn't. She thought of what if it was the reverse- her dying in the ITM, Natsuhi finding another girl, and promising to marry her, forgetting all about her. The hatred to the phantom girl was almost real. Natsuhi was hers. She was Natsuhi's. Anything else is unthinkable. Why did it take two years after his death to realize this? Because she's a coward. No wonder she won the ITM. She's not a decent person after all. You helped Ryoma win, she told herself. But she knew it was mainly because she wanted to help him get his revenge, and when he won, she planned to teach him doubles. She didn't want to be alone in the courts. She's doing it for herself again. 'Pakura, you selfish girl', she thought. She must have looked like she was going to throw up, because Ryoma said, "Stop it, Will. She's emotionally distressed after telling her story to us." William apologized. "Alright, sorry." She guessed she must have still looked like she was going to throw up, because Ryoma then said, "I know! Why don't we order in some takeaway food and watch movies?" The team nodded, and agreed.

To be honest, Ryoma didn't know how to cheer people up. That department was for Pakura. Since he was betrayed by the Seigaku regulars, Pakura was always by his side. Whenever he was upset, she would take him to Central Park Zoo. She knew he loved it since he was little. It's way better than the Bronx Zoo, because it's really small and cozy, and the animals are much friendlier, especially the seals and the polar bears. He loved polar bears. At the Central Park Zoo, they have this one polar bear, Ryoma remembered. All he does all day long is the backstroke. He was on the news once because this animal psychologist was worried he was under too much stress. It must suck to have people looking at him all day. But they bought him some toys, and after that he was alright. He just kicks back in his enclosure-they don't have cages at the Central Park Zoo, they have enclosures- and watch you watching him. Sometimes he held a ball when he does it. The last time Pakura took him there, she forked over a couple of dollars to get in- another thing good about that zoo was it was cheap. Ryoma paid a little call on the bear. The bear appeared to be doing fine, much better than him, anyway. After all, Seigaku didn't betray him, did they?

She also brought him to the penguin house. It smells kind of bad in there, but it's fun. There are these windows that look underwater, so you can see the penguins swimming around, having a good penguin time. Little kids would put their hands on the glass, and when a penguin swims toward them, they start screaming. It totally cracked Ryoma up, so by the time they get out of the zoo, Ryoma felt much better. The best part, he could totally relax and forget about Seigaku's betrayal.

Too bad they can't go out here, so Ryoma called his boyfriend over as well, and they had some sort of vacation right there in the penthouse. They ordered a pizza, and while Tyler sketched his fellow teammates, they were watching a very excellent movie called Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? , starring Tori Spelling of Beverly Hills 90210 fame, as a girl who has an abusive boyfriend. Ryoma didn't get why any girl would stay with a guy who hits her, but then Atobe said it's all about self-esteem. They watched the satisfying but completely unbelievable ending of Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?, which was followed by the dishiest made-for-TV movie ever, Midwest Obsession, in which Courtney Thorne Smith plays the local Dairy Princess ("Hey, she's a princess like you, Pakura" exclaimed Tyler) who goes around in a pink Cadillac wearing cow earrings, killing people like Tracy Gold (deep in the throes of her post Growing Pains anorexia) for messing with her boyfriend. After the movie marathon, they decided to have a picnic at the roof, where they ordered a bunch of food and grabbed blankets. No one disturbed them, as they weave flower crowns, sketch pictures and chatting about god-knows what. At least, they think no one is watching them. When Pakura got up, saying she needed the bathroom, she took the elevator to her floor, and found the Seigaku team standing in her room. She had to double check to make sure she's on the correct floor. "What are you doing here?" she said acidly. "I don't think this floor is assigned to you."

"Well, we just needed to ask to come with us." said Fuji. "We need you for our plan to get a spot in the Japan team. All of us must get in."

"You have to get in through pure talent. You have to play fair."

Kikumaru smirked. "I don't think you get what we are talking about, Princess." Pakura widened her eyes slightly. How did they know her nickname? Pakura pressed a button in her watch, a function installed by Philip. "What are you talking about, then?" she said. Momoshiro said, "We are going to use you to get a spot on the Japan representative team. Make sure the champions lose purposely." Pakura rolled her eyes. "Like how you used Ryoma?" Seigaku clapped sarcastically, not noticing Pakura reaching into her pocket. "Very good, Princess. You caught on our plan." said Tezuka. "We're going to take you hostage so that we can win the champions." Pakura then took out her headband, and threw it at Momoshiro. He widened his eyes. It was a weapon in disguise! His face was sliced by the headband. Pakura managed to take down (read knock out) all of the Seigaku regulars quickly with needles except for Tezuka. "You guys got to have a better plan then that." She said tauntingly. Tezuka narrowed his eyes. He didn't expect the girl to be very good in combat. He assumed all princesses needed their prince to protect them. Pakura, as if reading his mind, said, "Not me. I am the best in weapon handling and combat. Speaking of weapons, the needles I used to take out the Seigaku regulars has poison in them." She got into her fight pose. "Ready?" she smirked. She only had time to blink before she blocked Tezuka's punch. Pakura smiled. The fight begins

Meanwhile, at the roof top…

"Man, where's Pakura! What's taking her so long?" said Tyler. Ryoma said, "I'm going to check on her. Come on, Keigo!" he took Atobe's hand and together, they went to the twelfth floor. What they saw wasn't a very pretty sight. Pakura was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Tezuka. "What the heck?" Ryoma murmured. Pakura turned, in time to see Ryoma and Atobe. "Run, Ryoma, Atobe! Seigaku'-" However, turning to Ryoma was a fatal mistake. Tezuka got her from behind in a choke hold. "What are you doing, Tezuka?" Atobe shouted. "Release the girl at once!" Ryoma, however, had no need for words. He took the needles lying on the floor, and threw them at Tezuka. He was forced to let go of Pakura if he wanted to dodge the needles. Pakura immediately kicked Tezuka in the stomach, sending him flying. "Are you alright?" said Ryoma. Pakura nodded. "Yes. Seigaku is intending to keep me hostage so that you all will purposefully lose for my safety, and they will win a place in the Japan team. I got the conversation recorded down in my watch. Now, we can use them to convince the other teams to stop Seigaku with us." They nodded, and immediately went to get the others. After they hauled the bodies back to the sixth floor, Pakura told them about Seigaku's plan and the mayhem at the twelfth floor. When they heard of the mayhem, they were shocked, but relieved to see Pakura safe and sound. "As expected of our princess." said Tyler. Philip listened to the conversation between her and Seigaku, and nodded. "Yes, they definitely said they betrayed Ryoma in this recording. Good job, Paku. Now…" he typed rapidly in the computer, and burned the recording to 8 CDs. Ryoma said "All we need to do is to convince the other schools using this. Each of us can convince one school. I bet Rikkaidai don't really need much convincing, however, for safety's sake, we better make sure Pakura doesn't go anywhere alone from now on." They nodded; each of them took a CD, ready to put the plan into action.

Just then, there was a voice over the intercom. "All ITM champions please report to the 11th floor now. I repeat, ITM champions please…."

"That's us." said Ryoma. They went down to the eleventh floor, and found Coach Levi, the Head Coach standing before them. "Hello, champions, unfortunately, Coach Henry had to go back to America for some business. Your new coach has just arrived and I would like you all to meet him. You can come out now!" The said person stepped out of the shadows. He looked very familiar. He had green hair, hazel eyes, and a tall muscular build. He was also tossing an orange in one hand. "Yo! Long time no see, Chibisuke!" said the man.

Ryoma gaped. Pakura gaped. The person standing before them was none other than his brother and mentor respectively.

Their new Coach is Echizen Ryoga.

Omake (where is my invention?)

**Chris: Hey, that's Philip's invention! (picks up object) Hmm…"Do not touch…that means you, Chris!" **

**C: (drops it and it shatters): Uh-oh! Got to hide it somewhere! (places it in the toilet bowl and flushes it) Right, done! (walks out, and found Philip standing outside.)**

**C: Ah, Hello, Philip!**

**P: Chris, where is my invention?**

**C: What invention?**

**P: Don't play dumb with me. I know very well that you were the one who did it. Nobody else would think of touching my invention! Now tell me, WHERE IS IT?**

**C: I don't know what you are talking about!**

**P: Fine! You don't want to admit it? I'll locate it myself. (takes out remote, and presses a button)**

**(There was a loud explosion…from the toilet bowl)**

**(O the left side of toilet where the bomb exploded, William was staring at Philip and Chris, hands frozen over his book. Ryoma was glaring at them through the big hole in his wall, hands crushing a can of Ponta. Pakura started at them through the hole made on the floor. It looked like she was about to take out a book from the bookshelf. **

**Ryoma: (walks out of the room though the hole, drags Philip and Chris to the dungeons, throws them in and locks them inside) You two are going to stay there for three weeks! I am going to cut money off your allowance too! (storms off)**

**P: This is your entire fault.**

**C: Me? You were the one who pressed the button to activate your bomb!**

**P: Who asked you to hide my invention?**

**C: Like I said, it wasn't me! **

**P: Yeah, yeah whatever. (Goes to sleep on the hard floor)**

**BP: I was trying to watch Beezlebub while writing this, so it may be bad. And do continue voting on Pakura's boyfriend! (Criteria is stated above) I am hoping for at least 100 reviews this time! The more reviews the merrier! Don't disappoint me, ok? :P**


	20. The Champions take action!

Mini-Drama

**Jude: (takes out paper) So, here are the results…**

**Pakura: (snatches paper): **

**Yukimura: 2 votes,**

**Sanada: 2 votes,**

**Anyone of the ITM champions: 1 vote**

**Ryoga: 5 votes**

**Jude: Hmm, so Ryoga wins, eh? **

**William: *whistles* I wonder what Pakura will wear on their dates.**

**Ryoma: (reading the script for future chapters) According to the story, we will get to see what Pakura wears for her date with Ryoga!**

**Tyler: Super! I can't wait to see what Princess will wear!**

**Pakura: ...**

**Philip: Hmm, well, anything is fine. After all, our Princess is naturally beautiful.**

**Chris: True…..anyway, let's get back to the story.**

Training resumed the day after Echizen Ryoga appeared in the Training Center as a Coach for the ITM champions. The champions woke up early for their training. Ryoma went to the dining room to find Pakura already sitting there. "Good morning, Ryoma." She yawned. She had on a ribbon hairclip today. This time, the ribbon is pink outlined with white. She broke the rolls and dipped it into her hot chocolate. "The others are still sleeping. I couldn't handle my nightmares, so I woke up early." She hastened to explain. Ryoma nodded, and sat down next to her. While they were eating, the room doors opened and out came the champions. They yawned, rubbed their eyes and collected breakfast. "Our plan is, when we are training at different stations, the school teammates tend to stick together. All of us will go to different stations, and convince each of the teammates that Ryoma is the one being betrayed. If worse comes to worse, we'll use the CD with our evidence." said Pakura. The team nodded, before collecting their tennis equipment and going to the gym. When they arrived there, the coaches announced it was time for yet another round of private training sessions. First, they will train until 12pm, where after that, they will have lunch. During lunch, they will call them out one by one, and at 4pm, they will announce the scores. After that, they are free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, will be the start of the practice matches.

During training, Pakura gave a nod to the team and each went to different stations. Ryoma stuck with Atobe (as usual) and they proceeded to the balance station with Fudomine. "Echizen." said Tachibana. "I must say you got us surprised when you beat the Golden Pair in the doubles match." Echizen nodded, as he tried to balance himself on the small board.

"Yeah." said Shinji. "I can't believe you are good at doubles. The last time I heard you are really bad at doubles. Man, I can't believe you improved to the point you surpassed us in just three years. You must have some sort of secret in order to be good at doubles. And your partner is so pretty. Man, I wish my partner is-"

"Hey!" said Kamio. "I can hear you, you know!"

Echizen did a back flip, and he landed on the floor on his feet. "Anyway, do you really believe Seigaku when they said about me betraying them?" he said to the team in general.

"Well…" said Tachibana. "That was the only side of the story we heard. Come to think of it, we didn't hear your side of the story, Echizen."

Kamio tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah…"

Atobe sighed. "If Ryoma were the one who betrayed them and said he is going to take credit for being the creator of those moves, wouldn't he be famous by now? And he wouldn't come back for revenge, would he? Also, he might not want to come back because he's afraid of what Seigaku would do, wouldn't he?" The Fudomine team nodded. "Fair point." said Sakurai. "But, what evidence do you have to say that Echizen's not the traitor?" Atobe smiled. What evidence do you have to say Echizen's the traitor? And don't say Seigaku said so." The team fell silent. Come to think of it, they do not have solid evidence. Atobe went on. "After the private training sessions, we'll show you the evidence. His vice-captain, Pakura, unfortunately met with a little misfortune just yesterday. She got a little bit messed up while getting the evidence from us." The team perked up. "Really? What was it?" Atobe smiled. "I'll show you after the private sessions. Wait for us at your floor." Tachibana nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in our floor at 4.30pm. We'll be waiting." The rest of the team members nodded.

During lunch, Ryoma exclaimed, "Thanks a lot, Keigo, for doing the talking." Atboe smiled. "No problem. After all, Ore-sama was the Student Council President of his school." Ryoma gave a small smile, before pulling Atobe into a passionate kiss. "Ahem!" said a voice. Ryoma looked up and groaned. It was his brother. "Aniki!" he shouted to the older version of him, who suddenly appeared next to him. "Save your affections for later. You're putting me off my lunch." Ryoma huffed. "Then don't look!" Ryoga shook his head. "I expect Chibisuke to be more mature than that. I didn't know you are that immature." He wagged his finger at Ryoma, before returning to his stew. Ryoma shook his head, before turning to the other champions. "So, how was it?" Tyler spoke up. "Well, I think I convinced some of your teammates, Atobe. I still think it's best to show the solid evidence, though." Philip nodded. "Same here. Shitenhouji might need a little bit of push." Ryoma nodded. "Good job, Tyler. Pakura?" Pakura opened her eyes, and said acidly, "Jousei Shonan was interested in what I had to say. Wakato was especially ecstatic that a pretty girl was speaking to him. I spoke to Kajimoto, the captain. He seemed pretty mature and was willing to hear what I had to say, unlike the rest of them, who just stared at my face dreamily, and practically drooling over it. Ok, Youhei and Kouhei weren't so bad either. I think I will go to their floor to convince them before I come up for dinner." William nodded. "Yes, Rokkaku seemed skeptical at first, but then I told them they do not have solid evidence that you betrayed them. I'll give them one more push before dinner." Jude replied, "Well, Yamabuki wanted to hear more of what I had to say after their private training sessions. Perhaps I would use that evidence as well." Chris spoke up. "I think I can have St. Rudolph convinced. However, Fuji Yuuta, the younger brother of Fuji Syusuke, may not believe his older brother would do such a thing. I'll have to go to their floor and speak to them later." Philip nodded. "Same here with Higa Chuu." Ryoma nodded. "Good job, all of you. After the private sessions, do what you all have to do."

After lunch, they waited while the coaches call the players one by one. The sessions came and went. After his session, Ryoma went up to the 2nd floor with Atobe, where Fudomine resides. The whole team was already waiting for him. Ryoma spoke to the group. "As you all know, today I am here to prove once and for all I am not the traitor. I have the evidence my vice-captain helped me collect." He hesitated once, before putting the CD with the recording. He pressed the button play. The Fudomine regulars listened to the conversation. They widened their eyes when they heard the vice-captain say, "So, you are going to use me like what you did to Ryoma?" and they heard Seigaku sarcastically clapping and saying "You've caught on, Princess." After the recording, Kamio, enraged, jumped to his feet. "No way! And they dare to say you are the traitor? How could they? And here I was thinking you were…." He slumped on the couch, defeated. Tachibana spoke up. "No one blames you, Kamio. All of us thought that. I'm sorry, Echizen, please accept my apology." Echizen shook his head. "If you really are sorry, you will not speak to Seigaku about this meeting. In time, there will be the light version of the ITM to decide who will represent Japan. All I need you to do is to try and eliminate as many Seigaku members as soon as possible, but you have to leave Tezuka to me. Understood?" The Fudomine team nodded. They will help Echizen Ryoma, to redeem for their mistreatment and misunderstanding towards him.

Meanwhile, Pakura went to the twelfth floor, having finally convinced Jousei Shonan. She found Ryoga sitting on one of the couches. "Hello, Ryoga." She said, sitting down next to him. "Hey, Pakura. You have grown up." Pakura nodded. "Yeah." Ryoga narrowed his eyes. "You still have not got over his death, have you?" Pakura shook her head. "Thank you for taking care of my little brother."

"Yeah." She smelt something familiar and terrifying. She looked down at his hands, which was bleeding. "What happened to you?" she said, horror written on her face. "Oh, I just broke an urn accidentally and I cleaned up the pieces with my bare hands." Pakura shook her head, before running to get a first aid kit. She stitched Ryoga's wound, before putting medicine and bandaging it. "You're good at these things." said Ryoga. "Learnt when I was young." She mumbled. "Right, I'm done." She stood up, and was about to leave. "Huh, leaving already?" Pakura said, "My work's here done. I'm going to read a novel until the others come back."

Ryoga cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. 'You know, knowing you, after Natsuhi's death, you didn't go out anywhere correct? Unless it's to drive Chibisuke somewhere?" Pakura widened her eyes. 'He knows' she thought. "So, tonight, what would you say of having dinner with me? As mentor and protégé?" Pakura turned. "Really? What do you have in mind?" Ryoga smiled. "I know of a really good restaurant…."

Later, when they were seeing their scores…..

The others have already gathered, each of them bringing the good news that they finally got the others convinced. Now, the final part of the plan is not to let Seigaku know about this, and crush them in the light version of the ITM, but saving the captain for Ryoma (and Pakura). They will make sure Tezuka admits the plan in front of everyone. Anyway, they turned on the TV, and this time, Coach Levi sat before them. "The Coaches must acknowledge that this batch of players is improving remarkably, as you will know after we read out the scores. From Seigaku, Fuji Syusuke, with a score of 7. From Momoshiro Takeshi, we have a score of 8. From Kikumaru Eiji, with a score of 7. From Oishi Shuichiro, with a score of 8. From Inui Sadaharu, with a score of 7. From Kaidoh Karou, with a score of 7. From Tezuka Kunimitsu, we have a score of 8." The rest of the scores gone by in a blur. Atobe got a 10 this time, and Ryoma gave him a kiss on the lips as a reward for improving. "And finally, the ITM champions team, Christopher McKiddie, with a score of 10! From William Anderson, we have a score of 11! From Jude Harrison, we have a score of 10! From Philip Robinson, with a score of 10! From Tyler Clearwater, with a score of 11! From Derek Evans with a score of 10! From Echizen Ryoma, we have a score of 12! And finally from Pakura Goldstein, we have a score of 12!" when the scores were announced, Pakura checked the clock, and dashed to her room. She was late for her dinner appointment.

"As expected of the captain and the vice-captain! They got a 12!" said Tyler.

"You are not bad yourself, Tyler. You got an 11. Right, Keigo?" said Ryoma. Atobe nodded. "Yeah, you did even better than Ore-sama, who got a 10." Tyler smiled. "Oh no, Atobe you are good enough for us already. For staying with Ryoma until the very end." The other champions nodded. Just then, Pakura came out, and the boys gaped at what she was wearing. She was in a totally hot black minidress from Victoria's Secret (she hates shopping, unless it's for books, so she buys all her clothes from catalogs when she's soaking in a tub after a long day of training). Her bangs were styled in such a way that they hang sexily in front of one eye. "What happened to you, Princess?" said William. Pakura looked at herself worriedly in the mirror. "Why, do I look bad?"

Actually, she looked totally fine, in fact, she looked much better than she usually did, and that's saying something, because she is already very good looking in her usual sports outfits. She is way hot, as far as princesses go. "Where are you going, looking like that?" said Tyler. "Well, er…someone asked me out to dinner and I said yes. I just want to make a good first impression." She checked her watch. "Got to go, see you guys tonight!" with that, she went to the elevator.

Meanwhile, at the sixth floor (after Pakura's elevator passed them of course)….

"Echizen got a 12 again…" Inui mumbled.

Fuji sighed. "If only the vice-captain isn't good at fighting, we might have gone through with the plan…Tezuka, he got a 12, are you sure you'll be able to win the light ITM should you go against him?"

Inui shook his head. "The chance of that happening is only 3.2%. And 0.02% he will be pitted against BOTH the captain and the vice-captain, because as far as I know, the vice-captain may e targeting him too."

Tezuka tried to compose himself. "Look, only the champions and we heard about the deal that we made. When I lose, I will admit the truth. However, the others didn't hear it. All we need to do is, even if I lose, I can just pretend the deal never existed. Since we have most of the teams on our side, they can help cover for us. Then, the champions will have no choice but to give in." The Seigaku team nodded. "Hey, that's a good plan!" said Momoshiro. "That means, the truth will never be known!"

"Exactly." said Fuji. "I can't wait for that day to come. The day we will see to our victory."

Omake (Mentor and Protégé)

**Ryoma: Hello, everyone! Today, I am going to explain the mentor and protégé relationship. As all of you know, a mentor is a victor of a past ITM who must train subsequent tributes from their school. There are no gender restraints; a male victor can train a female player and vice versa. There can be 2 male mentors or 2 female mentors, though usually there is one female and one male. However, Pakura mentored both Rachel and I because she was the last living champion of the ITM that hasn't graduated.**

**Tyler: That's right! Of course, the most well-known pair of mentor and protégé is Pakura and Ryoma. **

**Ryoma: Every mentor has their ways to train the protégé. When Pakura was mentoring me, she made me train and train and train. If I stop for even one second, slap! She'll send me flying.**

**Tyler: She also punished you by putting Japanese breakfast in front of you, and when you try to take from the plate, she snatches it and said, "Sorry, it's mine. Yours is over there." And will point to the plate containing American food, right?**

**R: Yes, she knew I hate American food.**

**T: And then she was so sadistic and strict a move that may take you one week to master, you took like only one day.**

**R: Yes, but in the end, I came out here alive. As all of you know, she also taught me the secrets behind doubles.**

**T: Only for you to find out the true objective is so that she wouldn't be lonely on the courts.**

**R: I can't blame her. After all, I did take them by surprise when I showed that I can play doubles very well. I am glad she taught me doubles.**

**T: Of course, speaking of which, she is feeling guilty of teaching you doubles for her own benefit. Have you comforted her yet?**

**R: Nope. Anyway, of course, Pakura was mentored by my Aniki. Not much is known about his tutelage, but it's speculated that his tutelage is less strict than hers.**

**T: We might find out more as the story progresses. **

**R: Right**

**T: Do review! The author is aiming for 110 reviews this time! If she didn't she might procrastinate updating this. She's quite the procrastinator. Just ask her parents.**

**R: Do note, she was watching HunterxHunter while writing this, so it may be bad!**

**T&R: See you in the next chapter! And we hope to see 110 reviews soon!**


	21. The couple finds something interesting

Mini-Drama

**Chris: (reads script from previous chapter) Hahaha! I didn't know Seigaku is so unaware of their surroundings!**

**Philip: You can say that again. Oh, the author wants to convey a message. Er…What was it again?**

**Ryoma: She was disappointed she didn't get 110 reviews. Anyway, if the readers make her upset one more time, she may not update everyday anymore, and god knows when she will update again.**

**William: Oh. I hate to see her upset. The last time that happened, she skipped half her school lessons right?**

**Jude: Yup. She always landed in counseling when she was in Lower Secondary.**

**Derek: You can't blame her. There was this classmate of hers that says she's a retard and she deserved to go to the mental hospital, or deserve to go to the special school for students with special needs. If you ask me, that girl who insulted her is not right in the head.**

**Pakura: Yeah. No matter how many times the teachers told her not to disturb our author, she kept persisting. She even insulted her parents and her appearance….as if she is better looking than her. **

**Tyler: I agree. Anyway, do you know what happened just the other day?**

**Ryoma: Oh I do alright. That girl waited for our author outside her classroom, and when school is over, she immediately went in her classroom to torment her, although they are no longer in the same class. **

**Tyler: She's quite upset about it. Where is she, by the way?**

**Ryoma: Typing this while trying not to cry, I suppose. After all, she's the leader of her class, she mustn't show any weakness.**

**Pakura: Fair point. Anyway, back to the story!**

"_Good news Pakura!" said a woman happily. _

"_What is it, Mum?" said Pakura, looking bored._

"_I've heard of your love's death. It was such a shame! So, I decided you will get married as soon as you turn 18! I am sure you'll forget all about your love!" she gushed._

"_Oh? Who am I getting married to?"_

_Her mother giggled. "Josh Richter, of course. He's such a cute and sensitive boy. He expressed interest in you in a party last year, so I asked him if he would like to marry you. He said 'Yes'!" Pakura widened her eyes in horror. "What? I can't marry him, mom. He's a jerk!" Her mum's tone suddenly turned firm. "You will marry him, or else you get out of this house!" Pakura went to her room, packed her possessions, and went to the door. "Fine, I will get out! I forgot to mention, champions get their own houses when they win." She saw her mother's face light up in greed, and she slapped it….HARD._

"_Don't think I will share it with you all, just because you're my family. You all are scums!" she spat, before leaving the house._

Pakura sat up on her bed. 'Oh, it's just a nightmare.' She thought. She checked the clock. It was nearly seven. She refreshed herself, dressed and tied up her hair in her usual ponytail and wearing her usual pink ribbon clip, and went down to breakfast, only to find Ryoma having breakfast with Atobe. Apparently, Atobe came up to have breakfast with his boyfriend. It's quite romantic, in a way, but then it reminded her that she didn't have anyone she loves. "Morning, Ryoma, Atobe." She muttered, as she drew a chair and sat down next to Atobe. "Morning, Princess." They said in unison. Pakura placed French syrup on her pancake and started eating. "So, Pakura, where were you last night during dinner?" said Ryoma. "I went to a restaurant." She replied. "Who did you go with?" said Atobe. Pakura chocked on her pancake. "None of your business." She said, but they could see a faint blush on her cheeks. If she answered the question truthfully, they will think she's on a date with Ryoma's brother! Atobe opened his mouth to say something, but just then, the doors opened and out came the other champions. They greeted the trio, and then sat down and had breakfast. After breakfast, they headed down to the gym as usual.

They waited for the Coach of the day to supervise the matches. When the door opened, everyone (except the champions) gasped. The boy looked a lot like Ryoma. "Hello, everyone! My name is Echizen Ryoga, the new coach for the ITM champions!" Seeing their confused looks, he continued, "Coach Henry had to return to America for some business, so I'm taking over!" Gakuto was the first to speak. "So, were you an ITM champion, too?" Ryoga laughed. "Of course. In fact, I even mentored one of the champions here!" The players looked at them, wondering which of the champions he had mentored. Pakura wished she could just evaporate on the spot. "So, anyway, let's get on with the matches!" the screen lit up, and names began flickering. They stopped at, "Kajimoto Takahisa vs. Kite Eishirou. When they get to the court, Kite muttered to Kajimoto, "Did one of the champions come to speak to your team the other day?" Kajimoto nodded. "Yes. I can't believe Seigaku would do such a thing. However, she said to keep this meeting a secret, and not reveal the fact that we know the truth until the end, to cause more psychological blow." Kite nodded. "Same here. Let's get on with our match." They did, and surprisingly, Kajimoto won with 7-6. Both captains were tired out. "Good match, Kajimoto." said Kite, as he shook Kajimoto's hand. "You too, Kite." said Kajimoto. Then, there was a match between Atobe Keigo and Momoshiro Takeshi. Atobe won, with 6-0, mainly because the fact that he is venting his anger on Momoshiro for betraying Ryoma. After a few more matches (surprisingly, the champions all fell asleep at some point) it was time for lunch. The champions sat together as usual. Ryoam felt a hand tap on his shoulder. He looked up, only to see his brother. "What is it, Aniki?" said Ryoma. Ryoga merely said, "Come with me. You don't mind if I borrow him for a moment, do you?" he said to Atobe. Atobe shrugged. "Do whatever you like." With that, the Echizen brothers left the dining hall, to the curious looks of the other players.

"What is it, Aniki?" said Ryoma.

"First things first. Is Atobe your boyfriend?" said Ryoga.

Ryoma nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." said Ryoma. Atobe has always been by his side, even when everyone was against him.

"I see. Well, that's all I need to know." Ryoga nodded.

"Aniki."

"What?" said Ryoga.

"Do you…have someone you like?" Ryoga sighed. "Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell my little brother. Yeah, I do. But I doubt she even noticed me until she was picked for the ITM. Besides, she loved her partner." Ryoma frowned. "What do you mean by until she was picked for the ITM? You mean she died?" Ryoga shook his head. "No. Her partner's dead. She took the blow quite hard." Ryoma then realized who Ryoga was talking about. "Don't tell me it's Pakura, your protégé." Ryoga nodded. "Yeah. I liked her. She was a very cheerful and bright person. When I mentored her, she was strong willed and serious." Ryoma then said, "Did she tell you?" Ryoga asked, "Tell me what?" Ryoma silently apologized to Pakura, before saying, "She's addicted to white liquor. She turned to drink after Natsuhi's death." Ryoga widened his eyes. Ryoma sighed, before saying. "All she wanted was someone to love her and she could love in return. She hid it quite well, and it took us so long to find out about her secret addiction to alcohol. Also, she did an excellent job concealing her feelings." Ryoga nodded. "I see." Ryoma said, "Well, I'll go back to lunch now. Good luck, and see you later." When he returned to the table, Atobe said, "What did your brother say to you?" Ryoma smiled. "Nothing much. He just asked about the relationship between us." He gave a quick kiss on Atobe's lips, which Atobe returned. After lunch, it was another round of matches. The champions, because they've seen the matches like a thousand times before when they were in America, promptly fell asleep. When the matches were over, the champions went back to their rooms, except for Pakura, who went to the roof. Just then, the elevator dinged. Pakura turned around in alarm, and sighed in relief when she saw it's only Ryoga.

"Not going to take a nap, like the other champions?" he said. Pakura shook her head. "No, I don't want to have another nightmare." Ryoga nodded knowingly. Pakura went on. "I do have my ways to forget, though." Ryoga inwardly frowned. She must have meant the white liquor. Well, he's not going to allow that to happen again. Her drinking, I mean. "What would you say about having dinner with me tonight?" Pakura looked up, and said, "You're paying?" Ryoga nodded. Pakura let out a small smile. "Alright, then."

"I'll see you at the lobby at 6?" said Ryoga, as Pakura approached the elevator. She nodded. "At 6." With that, she disappeared into the elevator.

Ryoma kissed Atobe slowly on the couch. The other champions are asleep and they had the whole penthouse to themselves. He leaned against Atobe's shoulder, and Atboe wrapped his hands around Ryoma's waist. Of course, since they are alone, Ryoma could tell him about the conversation between him and his brother during lunch, because no one would overhear them. Then he said, in a way he does when he gets excited about something, "Hey, do you know, Ryoga has a crush on Pakura? I wonder if it will be romance between the princess and my brother. It'll be great if Pakura dates Ryoga, don't you think?" Atobe nodded. "Yeah. Ore-sama thinks Ryoga is a good match for Pakura." Just then, the elevator dinged, and Pakura stepped out. "Ah, speak of the devil." said Atobe. Pakura saw their compromising position, but this time, she didn't say anything about it. She said, "Hello, Atobe, Ryoma. I won't be joining you all for dinner tonight, I have another appointment." With that, she went into the room, closing the door behind her. Ryoma and Atobe looked at each other. Wonder what that means?

Later, after the champions woke up from their nap, the champions were grousing about having to watch the Seigaku matches, and they were trying to impress them by doing their best moves. "As if we have never seen it before." grumbled Tyler. Just as he grumbled that sentence, Pakura came out, putting the last touches on her look. She was wearing a new outfit. It was this sort of Spanish skirt in all those different colors, and an off-the-shoulder top. Her long hair was all over the place, and she looked really great. The boys all stared at her like she was an alien that came from the spaceship. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Where are you going, Princess?" said William.

"Nowhere." said Pakura, fastening on an earring.

"Nobody goes nowhere looking like that." said Derek. He had on this funny look, and said, "Pakura, are you going on a date?"

"What? No, I'm not going on a date!" she was completely sure of that fact. A date? Her? She's so sure. "I am going to a dinner appointment!"

"And do you usually wear this to your dinner appointment?" said Tyler.

Pakura spluttered, checked the clock, and yelped. She was LATE! She ran to the awaiting elevator, and said, "Well, see you tonight!" and went into the elevator. They stared after the elevator. "What's with her? Ever since the new coach came, she's been acting weird all over again!" Philip remarked. Just then, Ryoma saw a book lying on the table. "Hey, that's Pakura's!" he let the book fall to a random page and found a page that is most handled. Ryoma snickered at the page it fell on, and he showed it to Atobe. Atobe read it, and tried to surpass his laughter.

_So you think you've met the boy of your dreams- but he doesn't seem to know you're alive?  
No problem!  
A sure-fire way to get the opposite sex's attention is to SMILE!  
Operation Smile:_

_The power of the smile is amazing, and cannot be over-emphasized. A single, dazzling smile in the direction of your crush can do more than anything else to get his attention.  
So brush those pearly whites and start practicing…  
Then next time you pass him in the hallway, show those dimples!  
You can bet he'll be asking for your number before the end of the week._

He checked the date the book was bought, and it was the day that they went to the mall, and encountered Seigaku there. That means she is not trying to attract Natsuhi's attention, because he died two years ago. Also, when he got up for a conversation with his brother, he caught a fleeting glimpse of her staring at the two of them. Judging by the dust that looked like it has been hastily wiped by a hand; she must have read it briefly before she went to the gym. He looked at Atobe, and knew he must be thinking along the same lines. "Hey, are you thinking what I am thinking?" Atobe grinned and nodded.

The Princess unknowingly has a crush on her mentor!

Omake (Dreaming)

**Note: For this omake's purposes, the champions will all be in the same class.**

**Narrator: One day, the champions were sitting through a particularly boring Math class.**

**Teacher: (droning on and on about quadratic formulas)**

**Philip: (puts his head down to sleep) This is so boring….**

**Philip: (wake up, finds himself wearing lab coat and halfway inventing a robot.**

**Ryoma: Hey Philip! The science contest is beginning soon. You'd better finish inventing the robot before the contest starts.**

**Philip: Oh..right, captain! (Begins fixing the robot)**

**Later…..**

**Judge: Hello, and welcome to our science contest. The winner will be given $10,000 in cash. Please welcome our first contestant, Philip Robinson!**

**Philip: (comes out with his robot, to wild applause.) Hi, guys. Today I brought with me my new invention- my robot!**

**Narrator: Philip beings to demonstrate what the robot could do. He used the remote control to get the robot to do various things, like lifting a chair and putting it down, to moving tables. The judges were impressed and awarded him marks. However, halfway, the robot went on a rampage.**

**Philip: (panics, tries to control the robot with the remote, but failed.) **

**Robot: (picks up one of the judges, and flung him to the wall)**

**Philip: NO!**

**P: (wake up, found classmates staring at him) Eh?**

**Teacher: Robinson, what do you mean by 'no'? Are you day dreaming? PAY ATTENTION!**

**P: Yes, teacher…..**

**William: So, did you dream of robots again?**

**P: (turns red) Shut up, William!**

**BP: Please note, I was watching HunterxHunter while writing this, so it might be bad. I hope to get 120 reviews this time. Please don't disappoint me one more time. I beg of you all. I know I am bad at writing , you don't have to tell me!**


	22. Bonus chapter: Ryoma's plan

**BP: *Yawn* Thanks for all your reviews! You didn't disappoint me this time. I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday because I was busy preparing for my tuition lessons the next day. This chapter is pretty much a filler chapter, because it focuses on Pakura's uncertainty towards love, and she is uncertain if she'll ever try dating again. Ryoma (and Atobe) is secretly helping her. **

The next morning, Pakura went to breakfast, to see Ryoma and Atobe having breakfast. It's pretty weird, considering the fact that Ryoma always likes to sleep in. Also, today's Saturday, so they will only train for half a day Well, love seriously does strange things to people. She sat down and shoveled some French toast on her plate. She poured syrup over it and took a bite. She might as well be eating cardboard, because she had a question she wanted to ask Ryoma and Atobe, and because those two had been in a relationship, they would know about romance better than her, right? Ryoma caught her staring, and said, "If you got any questions, just spit it out, Princess." For some reason, him calling her princess ticked her off, enough to say what was on her mind. "Ryoma, how d-do ... you know if-if—er…Argh, the heck with it— how do you know if you're in love?" That was the last question Ryoma expected to hear from the vice-captain's mouth, and he choked on his orange juice. Ryoma looked at Atobe and Atobe nodded. "Allow Ore-sama to explain. First, you blush around them, even at the mention of them. Also, you can't stop thinking about them. You get jealous of people around them. Your heart rate gets faster around them. You want to be the person that stays with them forever."

While Atobe was talking, Pakura made a mental list, from what Atobe said.

And then tallied them with her own feelings.

Blush around them, even at the mention of them. (She did blush at the mention of him)

Can't stop thinking about them. (Yes…because just now, she had an image of him in her mind while Atobe was talking. Of him and his cool posture when he played tennis. Thank God the champions can't read her mind)

Jealous of people around them. (When she was in new Day Academy, she noticed a lot of girls around him, and she wanted nothing but to throw her knives at them. Is he single? She hoped he is.)

Want to be the person that stays with them forever. (When he hugged her before she was launched into the arena, she wished that moment would last forever. Also, she was so happy he was her mentor, because it meant she got to spend time with him)

Heart rate gets faster around them. (Er...that did happen during their dinner appointments…How she wished it was a date…and also, the time when he approached her on the roof and during lunch when he wanted to talk to his brother)

She put it all together…..

...and groaned as she realized she was in love with Echizen Ryoga, Ryoma's brother.

The question is, when? Pakura thought back on the times they spent together. Come to think of it, they did spend a lot of time together when they were young, before Ryoga left the house for unknown reasons. When she was not with Natsuhi, she was with him, learning new techniques, or discussing the latest matches with Ryoma. They spent time together like brother and sister, and he even mentored her in the ITM. She widened her eyes when she realized she did love him, like she did Natsuhi, but she chose Natsuhi when he was alive. Now he's dead, the feelings for him were more obvious. Ryoma didn't miss the look of surprised recognition on Pakura's face. "Who are you in love with, huh?" Ryoma asked cheerfully. Pakura blushed, and stuttered, "J-Just…asking, Ryoma, that's all." she laughed half-heartedly. Ryoma smirked. Just then, Atobe stood up. "Where are you going, Keigo?" said Ryoma. "Oh, Ore-sama needed to go get something. I'll see you at the usual place?" Ryoma nodded, and gave him a kiss on the lips, before Atobe went into the elevator. Once he was out of earshot, Pakura said, "It's not as if he'll have me anyway. I mean, I am good at weapons and combat, I hate girly stuff, and I drink white liquor. Who would want a girl like me?" she slumped on the couch, just as the other champions came out of their rooms to have breakfast. Pakura went back to her room, her head bowed, thinking that the boy she loved wouldn't have her anyway. Ryoma saw her expression, and frowned. She has helped him a lot even during her depression; it's his turn to put her out of her misery, if only he could think of a good plan. He thought about the champions convincing the other schools. He grinned (evilly).

All it took was one minute of murmuring into a player form each team's ear (except for Seigaku, of course.) and a few apprehensive glances at Ryoma's direction from Pakura that everyone (except Seigaku) now knows Pakura's in love. Not that she knew that everyone knows, of course. Pakura was in the Training Center, practicing throwing knives. She didn't realize someone was watching her until he said, "Good job, Pakura" She turned, and found the object of her affections standing at the door. She gave him her most dazzling smile, and said, "Hi, Ryoga. What's up?" Ryoga said, "Are you free now?" Pakura nodded. "Would you like to go for dinner with me tonight?" His main objective is to find out who exactly she was in love with while they are at it. "Sure!" she said brightly. Just as things began to look up, Ryoma suddenly announced he wanted to take the champions out for dinner tonight. Pakura was forced to refuse. "That's alright." She said. "I'll just stay here and order in some Thai food and watch some movies." Surprisingly, Ryoma just said, "Suit yourself." When the champions left, Pakura grinned and called Ryoga, saying she had the whole penthouse to herself. Unbeknownst to her, that was part of his and Atobe's plan to put an end to her misery. If only she looked back, she might have seen Ryoma's chucking "evilly" with Atobe.

_Cinderella didn't wait for her prince_

_One of the biggest mistakes girls can make concerning their romantic life is sitting around waiting for their prince to find them, rather than getting out there and looking for him themselves.  
Don't forget, Cinderella actively pursued her prince, by getting dressed up and going to her ball.  
True, she had the help of a fairy godmother…but dazzled Prince Charming all on her own.  
So don't wait for your prince to find you- get out there and show him what you've got._

Pakura flicked to the next page and read.

_Become irresistible to any man_

_How do you do this? It's simple: by doing what you love.  
It sounds crazy, but it's absolutely true. If you do what you love-whether it's painting, dancing, reading or stamp-collecting-you will be happy, and men, like the rest of society, can't resist a happy person.  
Don't forget-boys can be shy too!  
And a happy, smiling girl is far easier to approach than a scowling or aloof one!_

Pakura closed the book, and smiled. She hoped the advice would help win his heart soon. She picked out a pink carnation sequin bow dress, and styled her hair in such a way her bangs are hanging sexily over one eye, which according to fashion magazines, it was the HOTTEST thing. Of course, she ordered in takeaway, and watched movies with Ryoga. Unfortunately, she wasn't a fan of scary movies (which is what they are showing) she clung to Ryoga and buried her face in his shoulder. Ryoga, in turn, patted her back, and said, "Shh, it's ok, sweetheart." When the movie was over, she wiped away the tears that came out when she was watching the scary movies. She smiled sunnily at Ryoga. "Thanks for spending time with me again. I really appreciate it."

"Wait." said Ryoga. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, ask away."

"Well, who is it that you are in love with?"

Pakura froze, before saying, "No one, Ryoga." She blushed after saying that sentence.

"Liar. I am sure there is someone, Princess."

"Why do you want to know, anyway?" Pakura shot back.

"Because, I want to murder whoever has won your heart."

"Well, you'll just have to commit suicide, wouldn't you?" Pakura retorted, and then covered her mouth when she realized what she had just said. 'Pakura, you just have to be witty, don't you' she chided herself. She edged towards her door. "Well, but it's not as if you'd take me, so, haha…good night!" She made a beeline for the door, only to have her wrist grabbed, and she was spun around and pinned against the wall. 'What strength.' Pakura thought. She closed her eyes, thinking he is going to punch her or something. 'Make it quick.' She thought. She felt a hand on her face, and the next thing she knew, he had smashed his lips against hers. The lips were soft, almost like Natsuhi's. Slowly, uncertainly, she kissed him back. Her lips opened slightly and he slid his tongue into her mouth and was sliding it over her teeth and exploring the depths of her mouth. Her hands were in his hair and she could feel his on the small of her back, pulling her closer. It was complete bliss, something she never had ever since her partner died. Her mind had lost control of her body. The need for oxygen soon became overwhelming and she pulled away. However, she realized what she has done. She said, "Gomen." before running to her room, and closing the door behind her, leaving a surprised Ryoga behind.

Ryoga, confused, dialed Ryoma's number. When he answered, he recounted what had happened, Ryoma said, "Actually, I am not surprised." Ryoga widened his eyes. "You're not?" Ryoma nodded. "Don't you know how she's feeling at the moment?" Ryoga slowly shook his head. Ryoma sighed, and said, "Obviously, she is feeling very sad, because of Natsuhi dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused as for who she is and what you love her for, because so many things happened in her life, she doesn't even know who she is anymore. She is probably asking herself if she is a disappointment to the champions and to you. She didn't try romance again ever since Natsuhi's death, so she probably thought you were only kidding when you kissed her, so that's all very mixed up and painful. I probably should mention this earlier, but she is most likely thinking she'd be a disappointment to you because her family thought she was the family's shame. Besides, she thought you might leave her again, like Natsuhi."

"I see. Thanks a lot, Chibisuke." With that, he hung up.

Just then, the bedroom door opened and Pakura stepped out. She was holding her IPhone, and she looked grim. "Bad news: Ryoma has pressed the lock button. You'll be stuck here for the whole night." She showed Ryoga the text. Ryoga gulped when he saw the text. Pakura said, "Well, you may as well just spend the night in my room until the lock has disengaged. Follow me." They went to her room and Ryoga marveled at the neatness of her room (though he doesn't like the fact that everything was pink). As she was busy sorting out a few books, Ryoga remembered Ryoma's words. _"Then I expect she's feeling confused as for who she is and what you love her for, because so many things happened in her life, she doesn't even know who she is anymore."_ 'She must have thought she was a devil,' thought Ryoga. 'No wonder she didn't accept love anymore.' "Pakura." He called out.

Pakura turned. "Yeah?" she said.

"Why do you think you are a disappointment to your family?"

Pakura widened her eyes. How did he know? Then, she sighed, walked over, sat down next to Ryoga on the bed and said, "I was born out of wedlock, actually. My family thought I was a mistake. I was never given a compliment by them during the time I spent in the Goldstein family. Also, because I am a girl, they thought I won't accomplish much in life because in the Goldstein family, they believe the girl's job is to just get married and have babies. They never gave me the love I wanted. I always envied the other kids who had such loving families! Why can't I…." she couldn't finish her sentence, because she was sobbing. Ryoga hugged her, and patted her back. "I don't even know who I am anymore." She mumbled, clutching to the fabric of Ryoga's shirt. "You are not a disappointment." Ryoga said, holding her back so that he could look at her in the eye. "You make the champions proud….you make Chibisuke proud…you make me proud. You are Pakura Goldstein, Princess of the Chess Pieces, a genius in healing and weapons, and….my lover." With that, he captured her lips with his own. Pakura didn't hesitate this time, she returned it, happy to find out he really loved her.

It felt like such a luxury, sleeping with Ryoga tonight. She didn't realize how starved she'd been for human closeness. For the feel of him beside her in the darkness. She sank down into sleep, enveloped in his warmth, and when she opened her eyes again, daylight's streaming through the pink curtains.

"No nightmares." He said.

"No nightmares." Pakura confirmed. She checked the time. "The elevator should be here." She led him to the lounge and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you at training." He nodded, before stepping into the elevator. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart." Pakura chuckled at her old nickname. When he first mentored her, he always called her sweetheart. 'My name is Pakura Goldstein. I am age 17. I may not have a family, but I have my fellow champions. I have someone whom I love and who loves me back. My life may not be perfect, but I am happy.' Which just goes to show, no matter what anybody else says, the advice in her book?

It really does work.

When the champions came up for breakfast later, they noticed there were two empty containers of pad Thai in the trash. Also two sets of plastic chopsticks and two cans of Ponta in the recycling bin. Tyler asked if she had someone over for dinner- oh God, she'd spent the whole night with him already! - And she said, "Oh, no, Tyler. I was just really hungry."

Later, while the champions were preparing for training….

"Ryoma?" said Pakura. Ryoma turned to face her. "Thank you." Ryoma nodded. When Pakura was out of earshot, Ryoma called Atobe. "Hey, Keigo, looks like our plan has worked!"

"That's great, Ryoma. Does that mean she would be happier now?"

"I am sure of it. See you at training?"

"See you at training." Atobe confirmed.

Just then, Pakura came back to his side, and said, "The light version of the ITM will commence in a week. All of us, until then, keep a low profile. Do not show all your techniques. The data man, Inui, will take the info down and will use it to their advanatage. Our main objective is to prevent anyone from Seigaku to represent Japan in the team. Got it?" The team nodded. Ryoma said, "Very good. Philip, how are things on your side?" Philip nodded. "I managed to hack into the computer system and according to the information I got, the final 16 players would have to face two of us. They have two chances to win against us. If they win at least one match against us, they will be able to get in the team. Who they go against depends on the lots they draw. Don't worry, I can make sure Tezuka goes against both of you, Ryoma, Pakura." The captain nodded. "Excellent. Well, let's go."

The team nodded, and they piled on the awaiting elevator, preparing for the next round of training.

Omake (Tyler's story)

**Hello, everyone, you all know who I am. My name is Tyler Clearwater, and I am one of the champions that won the ITM. It all started in my school, Bronx High School. Yes, after Princess (Pakura) won, I was chosen for the 69****th**** ITM. No, I wasn't the same age as Princess. I was a year younger. I didn't expect to be picked. Believe me, you wouldn't want to be in it. My mentor was a guy named Robert. He won around 5 ITMs ago. He told me to confront everyone and defeat them like a machine. Yes, you guessed it; he was a Chess Piece member. I despised him. I hated him. Because of that, I secretly called Pakura for advice. So technically, she's my mentor. Wait, scratch that, she only gave me advice, so she's my advisor. I liked her. She was wise and caring. However, I didn't realize deep inside, she was a sad, hurt and confused person. **

**Once I was launched in the arena, I remembered what she told me. "Grab what you can, and flee the area. Until you have confidence of playing against the player, don't confront him." Do you know I was nearly challenged by a boy when I grabbed a backpack from the ground? Thank God, someone else challenged him when he was approaching me. I didn't play against anyone, staying alive and keeping my strength was my priority. Surprisingly, many people were still able to find me and challenge me. I was lucky I was in full stamina, so I manage to wipe them out. However, one night, when the board with the players faces came up, my female player, Terra's picture, disappeared from the board. Immediately, I knew she had died in the ITM. Poor Terra! She was only 15. Why can't they spare her for once? But a thought struck me. Those players who came out alive, but lost, were still in a coma in the hospital, and God knows when they would wake up. Maybe death would be better, but I chided myself for thinking that. Nobody is free from the ITM. Perhaps that's why Pakura turned to drink, which we did not find out until recently. I know she suffered much more than us. She had seen the evils of the outside world, and she is only one year older than me, yet I felt we were many years apart. Anyway, I managed to survive until the final eight, where I already had 16 wins and 0 losses. I couldn't afford to lose. If you lose three times in the ITM within the week, you will be given an electric shock from your tracker that may kill you. That's why those who survived the shock are still in a coma up till now. **

**Yes, then it was down to the final two. I went up against a Chess Piece Bishop. She was one arrogant girl called Jasmine. She was confident she could beat me. I've heard tales of her in New Explorers High School, the school Philip went. It was said she was a stubborn type of person. She thought she was the prettiest and cleverest girl in the school. Although she wasn't very smart, she always boasts about her intelligence and even made fun of those smarter than her, telling them they deserve to go to a mental hospital. Apparently, to her, she is the only sane person in the school. I also heard when she got into a fight one with another girl, the very next day, she vented her anger on another person. Moreover, when someone asked her to shut up when she was so noisy, she slapped the person's face…in front of everyone! Punishing her isn't going to work. No matter how many times the teachers told her not to disturb her classmates, she kept persisting in doing so, refusing to change her ways.**

**When we got to 4-3 with her leading, she taunted, "Hey, Clearwater, not so clear now, are you? I hope your parents die like you. Your mother looks like a whore. Did she work in the whorehouse or something?" That was the last straw. I served a very fast and heavy serve and caught her by surprise. I was so angry of her insulting my parents, I aimed my serves at her arms, legs, head, you name it. She didn't manage to return my serves. I was venting my anger, hatred on her. By the time I was done, she was badly bruised all over. The electric shock she got after she lost didn't help matters. I heard her scream once, then go still. The cannon fires and I was declared the winner.**

**Every time I went to bed, I wondered if I could have forgiven that girl. After all, she was a member of the Chess Pieces; she was probably raised that way. All I could see was me venting my anger on her, my serves laced with hate. I saw myself bruising her. I watched her get electrocuted by the tracker on her arm. I wondered maybe she would've survived if I didn't bruise her. If only I wasn't so angry, maybe I wouldn't have taken a life. **

**The only question I wanted to ask was: Is this all my fault?**

**BP: I know it's bad, I was watching Beezlebub while writing this. You can treat this as a bonus chapter if you want, because this is focused on Pakura's uncertainty towards love, and the beginning of her new relationship. Remind me not to write romantic scenes any longer. I suck at it, apparently. *sigh* Oh, I am aiming for MORE THAN 130 reviews. Don't disappoint me, ok?**


	23. Love is in the air

**BP: Ok, I know I didn't get more than 130 reviews, but don't worry, I am not angry. I am not the type of person to get angry easily. For those who had known me personally, you would have wondered how I got from such a short tempered person to a calm and indifferent person. The answer is simple. Constant bullying. It took its toll on me, and I grew up faster than I had expected. The bully, no matter how many times the teachers told her to leave me alone, she didn't listen. You can say she's a stubborn type of person. Once she sees a good victim, which apparently it's me; she won't leave the person alone...until they part ways in graduation day, that is. Wait, why am I talking about this? She's going to beat me up if she reads this, thinking I am a telltale. Well, back to the story!**

The champions walked towards the gym, shouldering their tennis bags. When they got in the gym, every boy's eye turned to Pakura. Her bangs, usually combed straight down, are now styled in such a way that it is hanging sexily in front of one eye. Also, she had her usual neat ponytail and her ribbon clip on. They heard Pakura say "And, to be honest, it doesn't hurt he is amazingly hot." She let out a low wolf whistle, pursing her glossy lips so that they shone with a sort of oily gleam. "I didn't know they made them that way in the family. Ooh la la." The boys perked up at that sentence. Each boy hoped she was talking about them. Unbeknownst to them, she was already dating. Just then, the door opened, and Ryoga stepped in. "Alright, everyone, settle down. We are going to start our practice matches soon." After he said this, the screen lit up and the names started moving. The names stopped at "Jude Harrison vs. Zaizen Hikaru."

"Good luck, Jude." said Pakura.

"Thanks, Princess." said Jude, as he took his racquet and walked to the courts. While they were rallying, Ryoma walked over to his brother and said, "Aren't you a bit nervous?"

"Nervous?" Ryoga looked at his little brother reproachfully. "I'm dating a talented beauty queen, what do I have to be nervous for?" Ryoma sighed. "I meant the way the boys are looking at her now." Ryoga looked, and sure enough, half of the boys were still gazing at her dreamily. Some even got misty-eyed. "Jealous." Ryoga said decidedly. "That's what they're all going to be of me. Cause she's dating me and not them." Ryoma nodded. "True. Well, I'll go back to Keigo now. See ya." With that, he slunk back to Atobe's side, and leaned his head against his shoulder. Atobe took this opportunity to run his hand repeatedly over Ryoma's dark hair; they were well taken care off despite it being short. He placed his nose in his hair and inhaled. It smelled like lemon. Atobe secretly smiled. He loved the times like this where they can just cuddle. No words were needed between them. Meanwhile, Jude hit another ball, and it bounced past Kintaro. "Game, to Harrison, 4-1!" Ryoga announced. Zaizen was panting. He had never faced such a powerful opponent that can casually return his best shots like it was nothing. Jude looked like he had hardly played at all. Jude didn't use any of his special moves, as advised by Pakura, because he didn't want the data to be taken down. He looked at where Seigaku was standing, and sure enough, Inui had his notebook taken out. Meanwhile, Fuji said, "Inui, did you get any data?" Inui shook his head. "No, he didn't use any of his special moves. It's hard to get data on any of the champions. I did record down their training scores, and even so, I could only guess what they had done for their training session." They looked up from the book in time to see Jude somersault and hit the ball. The ball flew in a random direction, but it didn't go out. "Game, to Harrison, 6-1!" Ryoga shouted. Jude shook hands with Zaizen. "Good game." Zaizen nodded sullenly. "That was amazing, Jude!" Ryoma cried. Atobe nodded his assent. Jude smiled. "Thanks, captain." He sat down and drank from his water bottle, just as the screen light up and the names began to flicker randomly, and it stopped at "Pakura Goldstein vs. Oshitari Kenya." Ryoma considered telling her to be careful; Oshitari Kenya was known as the "Speed Star of Naniwa". But then, he remembered she specialized in speed as well; her immense strength came from her weapons training. Ryoma shifted his head so that he is lying on the most comfortable part of Atobe's shoulder. "One set match, Oshitari to serve." Kenya threw the ball in the air and served. Pakura returned it, and frowned. The serve was not particularly fast or strong. She returned it to the other side of where Kenya was standing, and realized why he was a regular. In an instant, Kenya was already on the other side, ready to return the ball. Pakura smirked. 'Well, this is going to be interesting.'

She composed herself, before using her twist serve. As she expected, Kenya easily returned it. She used one of the serves that spun on the ground, but it did not bounce. Kenya ran to return it, but he accidentally slipped and he fell to the ground. Pakura frowned. Usually, normal players would be able to regain their balance if they took a few steps forward. 'So, despite being a fast runner Oshitari has horrible balance.' Pakura thought. She smiled, as she thought of a plan on how to use this knowledge to defeat him.

An hour later…..

"Game, to Goldstein, 6-1!" Ryoga announced. Pakura shook hands with Kenya. "Good match." she said. "Thanks. You too." said Kenya. As Pakura turned to walk away, Kenya asked the question that is on everyone's minds. "Is it true you are in love?" The bosy perked up their ears to hear her answer. Pakura gave him a long and hard look, before saying, "I'm dating now." The boys' jaws dropped open. Who is the lucky jerk to have captured the pretty champion's heart? She went back to her champions, where Chris sighed and said, "If you used your left hand, you would have ended the match sooner." Pakura smiled. "I want to take those Seigaku regulars by surprise, especially the Tezuka boy. I heard he is left handed as well." Then the screen lighted up and the screen stopped at the names, "Echizen Ryoma vs. Sengoku Kiyosumi" Ryoma took his racquet and smirked. 'Let's see how lucky this guy is today.' "One set match, Sengoku to serve!" Ryoga announced. Ryoma smirked, threw the ball in the air and served.

Half an hour later….

"Game, to Echizen, 6-0!" Ryoga announced. Although Sengoku had Motion Vision (which means the user's eyesight is so sharp that he can even catch the minute movements of a ball in motion.) he couldn't tell the movement of Ryoma's Teleportation Serve (taught to him by Pakura before the ITM) because the stance was so similar to before he hits the Twist Serve, it was easy to mistake him about to hit a twist serve. Ryoma shook his head, and said "Mada Mada Dane," before walking off the courts, not even bothering to say "Good Match." to Sengoku. He walked over to Atobe, who handed him his water bottle. He accepted it with a "Thanks." and gulped down the water thirstily. "That was a good match, Ryoma!" Ryoma smiled. "Thanks. But to me, it's just a light exercise." Atobe wrapped his arms around Ryoma's waist. "I know it is." He said, before kissing Ryoma on the lips. Ryoma placed the water bottle down, and now used his free hands and wrapped them around Atobe's neck, and returning the kiss, before Ryoga's voice interrupted them, saying it's time for lunch. Pakura smiled, and went up to Ryoga as the other players went to the dining room off the hall. "Hey, Ryoga." she said.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"Do you want to join us for lunch?" she said, giving him a beatific smile. Ryoga smiled. "Sure."

"What the-?" Jude groaned. "First, Atobe joins us at our table, now, Ryoma's brother." Ryoga was about to stand up, but Pakura held his hand, signaling for him to sit down. Pakura turned her glare at Jude and hissed, "Jude Harrison, if you say anything about Ryoga one more time, I swear you'll be the next target of my throwing knives!" Jude winced. He knew she never missed. "What are you getting so worked up for, Princess? It's not like you to get angry easily over something." Pakura gave him one of her iciest stares, and he fell silent. Pakura took some meat from the dishes laid in front of them, and put it on Ryoga's plate. "Here" She said softly. "You're going to need your energy if you're going to lead the training today." Ryoga smiled. "Thanks, sweetheart." Jude choked on his Sprite. Pakura saw him and said, "Don't give me that look, Jude. I am sure most of your girlfriends call you sweetheart. If make any more comments, be it verbally or non-verbally, I'll make sure you won't get out of the hospital for a month, just like what I did to you two years ago." If you ask Pakura, Jude is such a chauvinist- he has girlfriends stay at the castle, sometimes a new one every two weeks, and she heard them call him darling, sweetheart, dear, etc.!- but he protested at the fact that Ryoga called her sweetheart! Meanwhile, sitting across from Pakura, Ryoma was eating his chicken and potatoes, smiling. Atobe, who had heard Pakura's comment, said, "Ryo, what does she mean by 'most of your girlfriends?'" said Atobe.

Ryoma shook his head. "Back in America, he was a carefree flirt that goes after several girls his age. Every time, he brings girlfriends back to our castle, sometimes a new one every two weeks, like Pakura said. There was once Jude asked her out, but she beat him up so badly, he landed in the hospital and didn't get out one year later. Also, Princess tends to beat up his girlfriends."

"Why?" said Atobe, curious.

"That's because his girlfriends always went to her room without permission, and always messed with her stuff. Also, she has little tolerance of them, because they usually made comments on how she has no fashion sense and should give up weapon training and put in more effort on her appearance." Atobe choked on his potato. When he finally swallowed his potato, he laughed. "So, let me guess, she beat them up?"

Ryoma smiled and nodded. "You're right, Kei. As a reward…" he pulled Atobe to a long and lingering kiss. "I'm done." said Pakura. "Let's go, Ryoga." Ryoga nodded, and stood up and followed her, which attracted quite a lot of attention. When they were out of earshot of the other players, Pakura said, "Don't take what Jude said personally. He always had a problem with commitment and that the reason he didn't like you calling me sweetheart is that he thinks we are going out, and he didn't want me to go out with you because he can't stand to see me dumped the way he has dumped countless girls all over America."

"Gee, he always assumes the worst, doesn't he, sweetheart" Ryoga commented. Pakura nodded. "Why didn't you use your left hand just now in your match against the Kenya boy?" Pakurs smiled. "I guess no one told you about the plan." Ryoga shook his head. "Alright, I'll get to the beginning….." She talked into rapt silence for the next 15 minutes and when she was done, he was outraged. "How could they do that to Chibisuke!" he shouted. Pakura placed her hands on Ryoga's shoulders gently. "Calm down, Ryoga. So, our plan is to hide our abilities until the light version of the ITM. I plan to reveal that I am left handed until the day comes." Rygoa sat down, and sighed. "I get what you mean, sweetheart." She smiled. "Thank you. Oh, I forgot to thank you for comforting me the other day." Before Ryoga could say anything, she leaned forward, putting her lips against his. Her lips opened slightly and Ryoga slid his tongue into her mouth and was sliding it over her teeth and exploring the depths of her mouth. She wrapped her arms over his neck and he placed his arms over her waist.

Unbeknownst to them, another couple was watching them.

"See, I told you, Keigo, that our plan has 100% worked." said Ryoma, pointing to the kissing scene.

Atobe smiled. "I'm glad she's happy now. She looks even better with a smile."

"Definitely." said Ryoma, before pulling Atobe down for another kiss.

Omake (Where's Jude?)

**Ryoma: Hey, Princess?**

**Pakura: Yeah?**

**R: Have you seen Jude?**

**P: Which Jude are you talking about?**

**R: Oh, you know, the ITM champions, the champion swimmer and the playboy who brings girls to the castle every two weeks?**

**P: Oh him (thinks back)**

_**J: What are you doing to Erica, Pakura! (Watches in horror as his girlfriend, Erica was made one of the targets for Pakura's knives.)**_

_**P: Hmm? (throws another knife, which narrowly misses Erica's head). Oh, who knows? She messed up with my closet and even insulted my taste in clothes! So, I am just punishing her**_

_**J: Please, stop this! I'd do anything!**_

_**P: Anything (grins)**_

_**J: Yes anything!**_

_**P: Well, since you said anything (knocks Jude out)**_

**P: (mumbles to herself) I dumped him in the dungeon five weeks ago. I intended to let him out, but I lost the key in my room**

**R: What?**

**P: Oh nothing. (Putting the last touches to her dollhouse) He'll turn up soon enough. He's probably somewhere with his new girlfriend.**

**R: Yeah, I suppose you're right….**

**BP: Ok, I know it's bad, because I was watching HunterxHunter and Beezlebub. Also, I only had one hour, so I was sort of rushing. I am aiming for 138 reviews, so don't disappoint me, ok? Who knows when I will suddenly blow up or something. **


	24. Two more victims of Inui Juice!

**BP: My mood was a little ruined by the lack of reviews. Also, *sigh* I was looking through photos and found one of my CCA, taken when I was in Sec 1. I wondered why there was a slight ache of my heart when I looked at the former chairman's face in the photo. Then I remembered she was already dead. Also, I got into a fight with my friend, because he stated that because I wrote my story in a more popular category, I would therefore have more reviews, stories and favorites than him. So, I am in a pretty bad mood now, please don't aggravate me any further. **

There are times when Jude, the champion swimmer, wants to just disappear. You would not have believed what just happened. It so happened when he walked out of his room to get breakfast, and there was Atobe and Ryoma, with Pakura and Ryoga sitting at the table eating pancakes! Atobe, Ryoga and Ryoma were wearing T-shirt and short pants, looking like they have just woken up! And Pakura was in a dark blue flannel nightie! When Ryoma saw Jude, he choked on his pancake. "Jude, what are you doing up so early? I thought you usually won't wake until an hour later." He wished he had. He wished he had chosen to sleep in and never had to look at them in shorts and T-shirts looking like they had just woken up. He could have lived a full and happy life without ever having seen that. If Atobe and Ryoga looked like they had just woken up, it meant that they spent the night in the captain's and vice-captain's rooms! He was taken aback. Why did the vice-captain allow someone, especially a boy, to spend the night in her room? He sat down next to Ryoma, collected his breakfast and started eating, while the other champions slowly came out and joined them. After breakfast, all of them changed into their training gear. Today, Coach Levi was in charge of the practice matches. At some point, Pakura laced her head on Ryoga's shoulder and fell asleep. When things get even a little bit boring, she will fall asleep, pretty much like Ryoma. He shifted so that her head was resting in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. Pakura smiled. Her head felt really good there, as if his chest had been made to fit the exact shape of his head. In fact, Ryoga had to wake her up for lunch.

Unbeknownst to them, Seigaku had a plot against the champions. Fuji stood up, with a bottle of Inui's Juice (Improved Super Royal Inui Juice Z) in hand, went to the gymnasium. He went to the water bottle marked, "Ryoma" and another unmarked one, and emptied the water bottles in the water cooler. He then filled the bottles with Inui's juice. He replaced the water bottles, smiled, and went back to lunch. They intended to get Ryoma and another champion to forfeit his match (due to bad stomach) so that they can laugh at him of being a coward and then the players would know that believing Seigaku is the right move, and also prove that the champions are not as good as they thought after all. Also, this juice can knock out someone for a week (proven once during practice at some point) , perhaps they won't recover in time for their light version of the ITM matches. After lunch, the players returned to the gym. The next match was Pakura against Kite, and she won 6-0 in 20 minutes flat, without using her left hand. She went to the bench where all the water bottles were placed. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to read the label on the water bottle. Meanwhile, Eiji tapped Fuji on the shoulder. "Fuji, we have the wrong victim. Look!" he pointed to Pakura, who was actually taking a sip. And the label on the bottle read, "Ryoma." The next second, Pakura paled, and vomited all over the gymnasium floor on one of te courts, and fainted. "Pakura!" "Princess!" "Vice-captain!" most of the champions shouted in horror. Ryoga ran over to Pakura's fallen body, and flipped her over. Coach Levi also ran over. "What happened?" said Coach Levi. All the players, including Seigaku, shook their heads, indicating they don't know what's wrong. "Send her back to her room, now." ordered Coach Levi. Ryoga picked her up bridal style, and carried her out of the gym.

"What happened, Ryoma?" said Atobe. Ryoma frowned, and picked up his water bottle. He touched the surface of the juice, tasted one drop, and immediately grimaced. It was very sour, worse than vinegar. He looked at the water bottle. It was labeled with his name. Pakura must have taken the wrong water bottle, and she didn't even bother to check. He looked at the other water bottles belonging to his fellow champions. He hoped Seigaku only meant to target him. However, after Philip's match against Oshitari Yushi (they took the court furthest away from the vomit covered one), within minutes after he drank his water bottle, without even asking the coach, he ran towards the elevator, only to faint after taking 20 steps. Ryoma grimaced as the second victim of Inui's Juice is being carried back to his room. Due to two of the champions unable to practice and the vomit needs to be cleared up, the training was cancelled. At the twelfth floor, Ryoma slumped on the couch. "What's wrong, Ryoma?" said Atobe, wrapping his arms around Ryoma's waist. Ryoma sighed. "Because of me, two of my champions are currently not in the condition for training. This is my entire fault." Atobe patted his hair gently. "The champions don't blame you for this. I am sure they know the whole situation, and Seigaku is bound to have targeted them, I am sure they are prepared for their counterattack themselves." Ryoma looked up, looking miserable. "I know! But why can't they target me instead, since I am the only enemy after all?" He cradled his head in his hands. Atobe said, "Don't worry. We do have the other schools on our side. Your champions will recover soon enough in time for the matches."

"Really?" said Ryoma.

"Yes, really." said a voice. Ryoma looked up, and found all the champions (except for William and Pakura) standing there. "You are not alone in this battle. You have us. You can't give up just because Seigaku has done away with two of our champions temporarily." said Tyler. "I am sure Princess and William wouldn't want this, if they are still here." Ryoma nodded. "Let's not give up." said Tyler, holding out a hand. The champions and Atobe one by one placed their hands on top of Tyler's. Once they did, they raised their hands, and shouted, "Yeah!"

Later, while Ryoma and Atobe were taking a walk around the Training Center, they stopped when they saw Fuji, Tezuka and Inui talking. They moved into the range of their conversation.

"I didn't expect the princess to be drinking that. It was meant for Echizen." said Tezuka. Then, seeing Fuji's expression, he went on, "Fuji, what are you looking so angry about?"

"One that Echizen didn't drink it but it was the princess, and two, it wasn't me who carried the princess back to her room. Nee-san called and said I was supposed to have flourishing romance. I wonder if it may be the princess." Fuji said thoughtfully.

"Stop dreaming, Fuji. She said she's already dating someone." said Inui. "Like she'll go for us anyway, since we are the traitors, not that anyone knows about it, though."

"Oh come on, we're National Champions, of course she'll be tripping over her own feet to go out with us. In fact, I'm the tensai of the National Champions. I'm surprised she's quite shy to ask us out, though." Fuji said thoughtfully. "Hmm….do you think I should ask her who she likes."

"There's 100% probability she'll just ignore you and say mind your own business. Anyway, the drink you gave to Anderson and the Princess will knock them out for a week, so once they recover, expect the cold shoulder from them." Fuji, defeated, sullenly nodded. Atobe and Ryoma would like to walk away, but the main (and only) entrance out of the Training Center is over there, so they had to walk past the Three Monsters (Three Strongest) of Seigaku in order to get out. Atobe nodded once, and hand in hand, they stepped out of their hiding place, and walked past the three of them. "Ah, Echizen, how's the princess? It's a pity she suddenly vomited and fainted during practice. She must have suffered from food poisoning. If you like, I'd check with the chefs whether they have been cooking their food well." Ryoma gave Fuji a faint smile, and said, "No thank you, Fuji. I can handle the well-being of my champions by myself. I don't need your help, thank you." They continued walking, but Fuji said, "So, will I expect to see all 8 of you at the light version of the ITM?" Ryoma turned, and nodded. "In healthy condition too." With that, he left with Atobe. Meanwhile, in the penthouse, Ryoga was trying to suppress the fever that Pakura suddenly developed. It had been 8 hours since she was unconscious. He looked out the window. It was getting dark. He sighed; he couldn't leave the girl like this. He climbed into the king-sized bed, and brought the girl to his embrace. He looked at the "sleeping" girl. Does everyone look younger asleep? Because she could have been the timid freshman girl who was just picked for the ITM, and he had to mentor her. Unbeknownst to him, Pakura was yet having another nightmare, thanks to the Inui's Juice's influence….

_Pakura was dressed in her New Day's Academy tennis outfit, and she was carrying her racquet. The place was white and clean. There was no sign post to tell her where she is, so she kept walking, to an unknown future. The place materialized into a tennis court, and a person is already waiting for her on the other side of the court. The person had brown hair and startlingly green eyes. "Natsuhi!" Pakura called out. The said boy turned, and smiled at her. He took his place at the court, gesturing for her to do so too. She did, and he served._

_He won, but this time, the score was 7-6. Pakura was on her knees, panting. Natsuhi silently offered her a hand, and she accepted it. "Natsuhi?" Natsuhi inclined his head, indicating he was listening. "I love you, I do." Natsuhi nodded._

"_But I love him too. You don't mind, do you?" Natsuhi gave her a long, hard look, before nodding slowly. He looked at the girl that once belonged to him, said, "I'm going to Iceland to further my studies." and slowly walked away. Pakura watched him walk away. She thought for a moment that he will turn around, saying he would stay for the school. For the tennis team._

_For her._

_She did not know why she is thinking that, because she told him she is going to let him go. She watched as Natsuhi walked away from her, from her life. She stood there, and made no move to stop him._

Ryoga jerked awake as he felt Pakura stirring furiously in her sleep. Suddenly he woke up and began struggling to remove herself from under the layers of bedclothes. She rolled and vomited over the edge of the bed. Ryoga got up, quickly went to the bathroom, and came back with a mop, a bucket of water and a cloth. He wiped Pakura's mouth with the cloth, and splashed the pool of vomit with the bucket of water, before mopping it up. He then sprayed air freshener in the room for good measure. Pakura had calmed down and she drifted back to sleep. Ryoga climbed back to bed, brushed Pakura's hair from her face and tucked it behind her ears, and fell asleep next to her.

Meanwhile, in William's room...

"Think he'll be alright?" said Chris, looking at the unconscious William lying on the bed. Derek shrugged. "I don't know. I wonder what's in that juice Seigaku gave him. It even knocked William down, and we all know he has one of the highest endurance in the team."

"That's probably Inui's Juice." said a voice at the door. Chris and Derek turned to find Ryoma and Atobe standing there. "How's he doing?" Chris shook his head. "Not good. He hasn't moved a single inch since he was carried here." Derek frowned. "What's Inui's Juice?" Ryoma sighed. "Inui created several Inui Juices as punishment for his teammate's failures. He has created a variety of them. Most of us fainted due to the effects of the juice. I wonder what he put in them. However, perhaps it would be better if we don't know…." Derek and Chris shuddered. Atobe nodded as well. "Once, we went to eat Yakiniku together, I placed a meat that was drenched in Inui's sauce, and the whole place filled with thick smoke that engulfed everyone, knocking them out. That was after you fainted, of course, Ryoma" He added, grimacing at the memory.

Ryoma said, "Does anyone know how Princess is?"

Derek shook his head "No, the last I saw her was when Ryoga carried her." Ryoma nodded. "I see. Well, I am going to the lounge for a while. Take care of William." He went to the lounge with Atobe, where Tyler and Jude were having a conversation. "So you really think our coach and the princess is dating?" said Jude. "Yes, they are, Jude." said Ryoma, startling the two sitting on the couch. Jude looked astonished. "Surprised at the fact that the Princess is dating?" said Atobe. Jude nodded. Ryoma smiled. "Don't worry, she's 17, she's old enough to date. Besides, I know my brother. He likes glamorous, adventurous, type of person, so I expect that's why he has gone for Princess. Besides, don't you think after two years, it's time for her to start dating again?" Jude meekly nodded. After all, most of the girls in his class date. Even a girl called Natalie Furman has started dating. She's been quite popular since she developed breasts over the summer. True, her curfew is ten o'clock, even on weekends, and she has to introduce her date to her mom and dad, and her date has to provide a detailed itinerary of exactly where they're going and what they'll be doing besides showing two pieces of photo ID for Mr. Furman to photocopy before he'll let Natalie go out of the house with him. But still, she's dating. Somebody asked her out. "I thought so." said Ryoma, smiling. "I am sure my brother wouldn't dump her like a hot potato when he sees other pretty girls. If he does…." He grinned and laughed manically. The others shuddered at the laugh.

In the penthouse, a certain dark green haired boy sneezed in his sleep.

"Anyway." said Tyler, interrupting the conversation. "I don't think any of our champions should go anywhere alone form now on. Even to the bathroom, I personally think we should have a small escort of 2-3 people. Who knows what Seigaku would do if they see any one of us alone." Ryoma nodded. "Yes. We mustn't give them another opportunity to strike. We must stick close together from now on." Atobe nodded. "If needed, Ore-sama will get his team to stick close to you, so that Seigaku won't get you." Ryoma nodded. "Thanks a lot, Keigo." He gave a quick peck on his lips. "I'll go back to my room to discuss something with Keigo. You guys do help me check on our champions." With that, he left for his room with Atobe.

Jude watched them leave, before turning to the others. "Do you know what that means?" said Jude worriedly.

Tyler nodded. They must not leave William or Pakura alone either, because who knows what Seigaku will do when they leave those two vulnerable champions alone in their rooms…..

Omake (Family records)

**Tyler: Hello, everyone! I am sure you are dying to know about some of our champions' family background.**

**Ryoma: So, we are going to first introduce the Goldstein family, the family name of our favorite female champion.**

**Tyler: For the record, Pakura's father was a highly regarded family businessman while her mother was actually a housewife. She had two older brothers, who had the Goldstein look.**

**Ryoma: For those who don't know, The Goldstein looks means the person had dark brown hair and gray eyes. The call it the Goldstein look because all the Goldstein family members has dark brown hair and gray eyes.**

**Tyler: However, it was speculated that Pakura's mother apparently has an affair, because Pakura didn't had the look about her.**

**Ryoma: Yes. Due to this fact, she was the "cursed" child and she wasn't given what she craved the most- family love.**

**Tyler: Although she worked hard to prove she was worthy of the Goldstein family, by training and studying, she wasn't even given a glance by her parents, who instead gave their love and attention to her two brothers, because she's a girl, and in the Goldstein family, girls are inferior to boys because they believe all they can do is get married and squeeze some kids out. For the record, her brothers' names were Chase and Blake. However, Chase got into drugs and fighting with gang members, and ended up in jail. He died in jail a few years ago, if I remember.**

**Ryoma: While Blake nearly spent the family money on gambling and womanizing. Also, in the Goldstein family, girls do not have a say in anything. In fact, if Pakura didn't run away from home after she won, she would've married Josh Richter at the age of 18. Before she left home, she slapped her mother on her face out of anger, because her mother was hoping she'll share her riches with the family after she won the ITM, and after what they did to her! Pakura was so sick and tired of them treating her like dirt, and not giving her love, which is what she craved all along.**

**Tyler: I am glad you pummeled that Richter boy. Speaking of which, what happened to the Goldstein family?**

**Ryoma: Well, recently, a terrorist set a bomb on Bronx Mall, and it exploded. The Goldstein family perished when the bomb exploded. Pakura is the only living Goldstein member left. **

**Tyler: If you ask me, I think Pakura is the family genius. And also the family beauty of the Goldstein family!**

**Ryoma: I agree. The Goldstein family members are all scums. Well, except for Pakura. I'm glad she's happy now. Well, as happy as she can be with nightmares, that is.**

**Tyler: Right. (Turns to camera) That's all for today! See you in the next chapter!**

**BP: I know this is bad, because I was reading and watching Beezlebub at the same time, and I am in a bad mood. I hope I get more reviews this time, because I don't need the lack of reviews to add to my bad mood. I hope to get at least 10 reviews for this chapter. Please, don't aggravate me any more. **


	25. The balloon cake

**BP: I spent the whole day learning spelling yesterday and today. So that's why there's no new chapter for yesterday. I am just too busy! Anyway, I know, but I promise the light version of the ITM would happen within the next few chapters. Anyway, I am already in a bad mood, please, don't aggravate me. Oh, I know about doing new paragraphs when I want a conversation, but I was simply too lazy to make a new paragraph. Yeah, I am a lazy person, deal with it!**

William regained consciousness after 4 days, but Pakura developed a high fever that would not go down. She has been fading in and out of consciousness, and her fever was so bad, she had to stay in bed. The champions usually brought food to her room. Now, they were plotting their next move (or rather, their next prank that guarantees revenge) against Seigaku. Philip grinned as he thought of one. "What are you grinning about, Philip?" said Tyler. Philip said, "I know what we should do." The champions perked up. "Really? What?" said Ryoma. Philip smiled. "You'll see…Derek, this time, I am counting on you to pull this prank…." Derek perked up when he heard his name

Next day, after training, Derek found himself carrying a box that Ryoma and Atobe prepared. He found the Seigaku loitering at the corridors. He ran towards them, and purposefully bumped into one of them. "Hey, watch it!" Momoshiro cried. Derek got up and apologized. "I'm sorry! I just need to deliver this box to the vice-captain! But after that, I had to meet Philip for lunch, and I am already late for the lunch appointment!" Fuji was intrigued. "If you like, I can pass it to her myself." Derek smiled. "Thank you!" and passed the box to Fuji. Fuji smiled, and carried the box back to his own floor, followed by his teammates. "Go in, Fuji, open it." said Kikumaru. Fuji complied, and found a cake full of icing and chocolate rice. "Are you sure the vice-captain can finish that all by herself?" said Inui. "Judging by her size, I don't think she can even finish three slices!" Momoshiro nodded. "I agree. Let's take a slice each. Maybe she wouldn't notice. I'm hungry, anyway." With that, he took the knife provided and cut the cake. However, as soon as he did, the balloon containing all sorts of foul ingredients (which God knows where Atobe and Ryoma got it from) exploded, showering the Seigaku regulars with the foul (and stinking) ingredients. The best part, as soon as the foul substance touched their tongues and they instinctively swallowed it, they passed out. Meanwhile, at the twelfth floor, the champions are laughing away. They heard the explosion and the thuds that followed and deduced that Seigaku has probably cut the cake. Ryoma smirked. "Knowing those regulars, instead of taking it to Pakura, they would have opened it themselves, thinking it was some evidence that they are the betrayers and they want to destroy the evidence. However, they found the balloon cake and Momoshiro would be hungry for a slice, so he would cut the cake."

"You're a smart one, Ryoma." said Atobe, kissing Ryoma on the lips.

"Why, thank you, Keigo." said Ryoma. "I want to see the vice-captain now. Let's go, Keigo." With that, they left for Pakura's room. They went in to see Ryoga replacing the cloth on Pakura's forehead. Her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily. When Ryoga saw them, he shook his head. "She's been vomiting a lot as well, and I can't seem to bring down her fever." Ryoma looked at his vice-captain. He hoped she would recover soon enough. He bit his lip and nodded. "Take care of Pakura." He said, before leaving with Atobe. Once outside, Ryoma sighed. Atobe placed a hand on his shoulder. "She will recover. She still had her promise to fight alongside you for this." Ryoma nodded. "I hope so." He said, before going to the dining room for dinner. Tonight they served cream of chicken soup, mashed potatoes, beef casserole, salad, and for dessert, chocolate chip scones. Although the food was as appetizing as ever, without the vice-captain, they might as well be eating cardboard. Meanwhile, in the penthouse, Pakura opened her eyes. Everything seemed….fuzzy and blurry. "You're awake." said a voice. Pakura turned to Ryoga. "What time is it now?" Ryoga checked the clock. "It's 7pm now."

"Aren't you going to have dinner?" she said. "I'm taking care of you. I can't let you out of my sight, can I?" Pakura widened her eyes slightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's no problem, Pakura. Everyone gets sick once in a while. Here, take this fever pill." He handed her the fever pills found in her first-aid kit and a glass of water. He raised his brow when he noticed his girlfriend putting away the medicine and glass of water on the bedside table.

"Aren't you going to drink that?"

"I drank that before when I had a fever once. It tastes so awful that it will be the death of me."

"That's why it's called medicine," Ryoga retorted, and reached for the glass of water and pill. 'Is he going to force it in my mouth or what?' Pakura thought.

Pakura's face remained impassive as she watched Ryoga pop the pill into his mouth and take a mouthful of water from the glass. To her surprise, Ryoga pressed his mouth against hers, mouth-feeding him with the medicine. She had no choice but to take the medicine. 'I am surprised he managed to outwit me.' She thought bitterly.

After that, it turned into a kiss that is controlled but passionate. After a few minutes, Ryoga broke away. "Since when does medicine taste awful?" Ryoga teased. Pakura sighed.

"You shouldn't take flu so lightly Ryoga, it's contagious."

Ryoga shrugged. "I never catch a cold anyway, so I am fine."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." said Ryoga. The door opened, revealing Ryoma and Atobe. They were carrying a bowl of soup. Ryoma set the tray on Pakura's lap, and handed her a spoon. "It's cream of chicken today." He said. Pakura nodded, before starting on her soup. "So, what did you guys do today?" When she saw Ryoma's and Atobe's smirk, she knew what they were about to say. "Ryoma got Derek to give Seigaku a balloon cake we filled with all sorts of foul substances. We also added a strong dose of a certain drug that immediately knocks people out once they swallow it." Pakura whistled. "Not bad." She said, drinking her soup. Ryoga handed her a thermometer. She put it in, and a few minutes later, it beeped. She removed it and read the number on the thermometer. "39.6 degrees." She sighed. "I am not feeling any better, it seems." Ryoma and Atobe nodded. "I'll get Marie to cook you some ramen." said Atobe. Marie is the name of one of the cooks in the Training Center. Pakura has seen her before. She is beautiful, but in a different way than her. She actually used to be a model, but she quit when she got married. Now she doesn't get to meet all the interesting people she used to meet when she was modeling. She once stayed in the same hotel as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. She told Pakura that they slept in separate bedrooms. And that was on their honeymoon!

No wonder things didn't work out between them.

"Sure, go ahead." said Pakura.

Once they were out, they met Tyler at the lounge. "So, how is Princess?" Ryoma said, "Well, her fever isn't going down. We're going to get Marie to make some ramen for her." Tyler nodded. "I see. Well, I hope she recovers from her fever soon."

"Me too." said Atobe, picking up the phone provided on the lounge and dialed the number.

Half an hour later….

The door opened, reappearing with Ryoma holding a tray, which has a bowl with steam above it and another glass of water, followed by Atobe. "Here" said Ryoma, placing the tray on Pakura's lap carefully. He said while handing the chopstick to Pakura. Pakura looked at the amount of ramen. "So much?" she grumbled. "It'll just come back up again."

"You don't have to finish it all, just eat some of it." Atobe replied.

Pakura took the chopsticks from Ryoma and started eating it. It was beef flavored. Under the stares of three people (does her eating ramen look like a show?), she reluctantly ate the ramen until she finished the whole bowl. When she did, she handed the chopsticks and tray back to Ryoma. "You should take some rest. Drink that glass of water, though." Pakura reluctantly complied and handed the empty glass back to Ryoma a few seconds later. "Well, have a good rest, Princess." said Ryoma, as he carried the try back out, followed by Atobe. As they placed the empty dishes on the dining table (the servers would collect it later) Ryoma kissed Atobe on the lips. After the mayhem of two of the champions being temporarily done away, they did not really have time to have an alone time together. Atobe returned the kiss fervently, wrapping his arms around Ryoma's waist. They were interrupted, however, when someone coughed. They turned in alarm, only to find one of the servers that is currently tending to them as long as they are in the Training Center. "Erm, can I collect the dishes now?" Ryoma and Atobe smiled sheepishly, and said, "Yes." before going to Ryoma's room.

Once in the safety of their room, Atobe sighed. "Next time, when we have an alone time, make sure it's somewhere anyone can't walk in on us, like your room." Ryoma nodded. "I agree." With that, they climbed into bed and fell asleep, wrapped into each other's arms.

The next day, they went down for breakfast, to find a surprise. Pakura was eating breakfast with Ryoga! "Princess, you've recovered?" said Atobe. Pakura smiled, and nodded. "Yup. It went down this morning, Poor Ryoga's been up all night taking care of me." She said, nodding towards the boy next to her. Ryoga smiled. "It's no problem staying up all night if it's for her." Pakura smiled. She is a pretty, she is smart and athletic, she may not have a family, but she has fabulous friends who care for her, she lives in New York City, the coolest place on the planet, but most of all, she had Ryoga.

What else could a girl ask for?

Omake (Why is Jude a playboy)

**Hello, everyone. My name is Jude Harrison, and I am the playboy, as Pakura calls me. You may wonder why I am the playboy. Well, to tell you the truth, it was to hide my pain from the ITM. No, I am not Pakura, whose lover died in the ITM. My first love was a girl named Penelope Greengrass. Yes, she's pretty, smart and to me, she's perfect. However, she dumped me for a popular guy in my school.**

**Every time I see her with her boyfriend, I felt an ache in my heart. She was taunting me as every time she sees me in sight, she would display public affections to her boyfriend. Then, she was chosen for the 68****th**** ITM. Yes, it was the ITM Pakura participated in. At some point in the ITM, she ran into Pakura. Yes, they battled it out using tennis. Pakura, because her love already died, she vented all her anger, her hate on her. Unfortunately, that was Penelope's third loss, and she was electrocuted by her tracker. She died nearly instantly. I watched as Pakura took her supplies and moved on. Since then, I went out with many girls because I hoped one of them would help me forget about Penelope. I dumped them because Pakura beats them up. I trusted her to find the perfect girlfriend for me. I gave her that very task. **

**I felt a hand touch my shoulder. It was Pakura. When we are alone, she would comfort me, not threaten me or beat me up, like I asked her to, because I didn't want the others to suspect. She empathizes with me because she knew what it's like to lose a loved one. She gave me her jacket. "Here, if you want to think, at least wear a jacket." With that, she left. I knew although she berates me in front of others, she cared for me after all. **

**A/N: I may reveal the others' own stories in the omakes. Please review! (I didn't get 10 reviews for the last chapter, so I am in a bad mood) I was watching Beezlebub while writing this, so it may be bad!**


	26. The light version of the ITM begins!

**BP: Argh! I forgot one word on the spelling test! I can't get my dream full marks! I studied the whole day and I can't even get full marks! What is this! Anyway, for those who wonder why Ryoma could see Ryoga shake his head in chapter 22, it's because they are on video call. I got this inspiration when made a video call with a friend. For some reason, although I heard my bully curse my parents today, I didn't get angry, not even a single bit. I wonder why? Oh, this light version of the ITM will be viewed in the point of the champions, who will be controlling the game, due to their experience.**

"Thank God Pakura recovered in time for the light version of the ITM." Jude mumbled. They were having breakfast together at their floor. William sighed. "Yeah. Pakura, how many times must I remind you to NOT to scoop the residue out of your orange juice?" Pakura, who was picking the said residue out of her orange juice said, "You know I am picky when it comes to food. Besides, I like the pulpless type." She drank her orange juice reluctantly, and grimaced as the residue ran down her throat. She stood up from the table and said, "I'm done." The champions, including Ryoga and Atobe, looked at her incredulously. "But you've only ate one pancake." said Ryoma. "I'm not in the mood to eat. I'll be waiting at the lounge." With that, she walked away from the dining room. The champions (with Atobe and Ryoga) looked at one another. "Is she on a diet or something?" said Jude.

Ryoma shook his head. "Very unlikely. She doesn't care for her looks or for her body shape. It's more like she is not in the mood to eat." After breakfast, they went down to the gym, where all the players (except Seigaku) are already gathered, excited for the light version of the ITM. "We'll go through the plan one more time before Seigaku comes." said Ryoma. The other players nodded, and went to the teams they have convinced.

"Ah, Echizen, Atobe." said Tachibana, when he saw them approaching.

"You know the plan, right?" said Ryoma. The Fudomine team nodded. "Yeah. Try to pick off as many Seigaku players as possible, and save Tezuka for you. Act normal, and pretend we do not know the truth." said Kamio.

"So, that's the plan all along. How mean, Echizen, for not telling us." said a voice behind Ryoma and Atobe. They turned in alarm, and sighed in relief when it's only the Rikkaidai team. "Hello, Yukimura." said Tachibana.

Yukimura smiled. "So, when did you guys learn of the truth?"

"Around a week ago. Wait….don't tell me you knew all along?" said Sakurai.

Yanagi nodded. "Yeah, we do. We didn't believe Seigaku and their lies, actually, from the very beginning." The Fudomine team nodded in understanding. "So, you know of the plan?" said Tachibana.

"We kind of found out ourselves." said Sanada. "During the day where the champions separated to different stations. I happened to overhear Robinson (Philip) talking to the Higa Chuu and Shitenhouji."

"Don't worry, we would help you as much as we could, Echizen." said Yukimura. "We won't speak about the plan to Seigaku. Ah, speak of the devil." The elevator doors opened, and Seigaku stepped out. "Alright, everyone here?" said Coach Mabi. "Well, as you all know, today is the light version of the ITM. Champions of the ITM are exempted from this, because their main objective is to help you in your training. However, the final 16 would have to face off two of them in order to find out who is worthy of representing Japan for the future tournaments all over the country!"

The champions retreated to a safe place (Ryoma giving a last kiss to Atobe), while Coach Mabi told them the procedure of the "ITM"

"You all will be stationed at different parts of the ITM. This device I am about to give you all, it's a device where your name, school, and the number of wins and losses can be registered. Do not lose this. If you have the device that belongs to someone else or you lose yours, you will be immediately disqualified. When you lose three times, you will be disqualified as well. When it is down to the final 16, I will make an announcement for you all to gather and further instructions will be given. Understand?" The players nodded. "Good. Please line up and get your devices." As they watched the players get the devices, Ryoma said, "I hope Keigo would make it." Pakura nodded. Just then, the players were walking away from the gym, looking at their devices. Coach Mabi beckoned to them. They followed and she led them to the Control Room.

"This is the Control Room. I need your help in monitoring every player. Since you guys won the ITM before, I assume you all know how these works and what to do." Each Champion, including Ryoga sat in front of one control. Pakura was sitting between Ryoma and Ryoga. "I'll leave you to do the announcements. You can do whatever you want." With that, she closed the door behind her. Ryoma caught Jude's eye and nodded. He took the mike near him, and said in the mike, "Let the light version of ITM begin!" All the players looked up in surprise. Wasn't that Echizen's voice? But, they do not have time to dwell on it. Sixty seconds. They are supposed to stay in their position for one minute. Step out of your location, and you are immediately disqualified. In the control room, Pakura noted that Tezuka was stationed at the corner near the dance lounge. The control board reveals all of The Training Center. Not only does it show every room, every corridor, every corner of the Training Center, but it also shows every inch of the grounds, as well as all the secret passages that are hidden within its walls and the location of every person in the grounds, portrayed by a dot, provided you are carrying the device given by Coach Mabi. Ryoma found Atobe at the 18th floor, where the Training Center knives were. Just then, he heard the gong ring, and every dot began moving. Ryoma noted that Tezuka chose to stay at his own corner, even as the gong rang. Well, he'll just have to get him moving. He typed some things on the keyboard, and activated the trap. Bingo! Tezuka is now on the move, dodging the traps Ryoma has activated.

His dot met another dot that is marked "Zaizen Hikaru" and they presumably began their match. 20 minutes later, there was a "beep" sound. The champions looked, and found Tezuka had a single win, and Zaizen had one loss. To his right, Pakura was typing furiously on her keyboard, activating some traps to get the players together so that they could battle it out. Fuji Syusuke is now having a match with his brother Fuji Yuuta, and a few minutes later, the older brother won with 6-4. Just then, there was a long "beep". They turned, and realized Toyama Kintaro had 3 losses already, along with a few other players. Jude pressed a button and the sound of cannon fires. One cannon fire means one player is disqualified. Jude pressed the cannon button 6 times. 6 players already disqualified. The other Coaches are probably using their own devices to track down the disqualified players, and bring them back to the Training Center rooms.

At night, Pakura showed the faces of the players who are disqualified in the players' devices. First up was Toyama Kintaro from Shitenhouji. Kei Tanishi and Rin Hirakoba from Higa Chuu. Momoshiro Takeshi from Seigaku. Wakato Hiyoshi and Daichi Kiriyama from Josei Shonan. Ryoma checked the status of Atobe and was relieved to find out that he had 2 wins and 0 losses. He's glad Atobe made it through the first day after all.

"Well, this is fun." said Philip. "Look, the players are finding a safe space to go to sleep. Apparently, they can't go back to their comfortable dorms." Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Coach Mabi stepped in, carrying cups of coffee. "I got it from Café Dante. Hope you'll enjoy them." She set the coffee on the table, and they reached for the cups of coffee. Some added the sugar and milk provided on the tray. "This is going to take all night." Pakura mumbled, taking a sip of her bitter coffee (she didn't like to drink coffee with sugar of milk) Ryoga nodded. The champions (Oh, since Ryoga is a champion as well, I'll call him a champion in this chapter) sat down back in front of their controls, and kept a lookout for the players.

The next day, the champions were awakened when Jude pressed the cannon button. "Who is it this time, Jude?" said Tyler, yawning. Jude said, "It's Shishido Ryo from Hyotei." Derek nodded. "I see. Please activate the knife trap won't you, Will?" William nodded, and typed away at his controls. "I'm going to try and get Tanaka Youhei and Tanaka Kouhei together with that trap, so that they could battle it out. It'll be interesting to see them battle it out." 45 minutes later, Jude fired the cannon. It was for Kouhei Tanaka from Josei Shonan. Ryoma scanned the map. Atobe is currently having a match with Oshitari Kenya. Fuji (Syusuke) is now battling it out with Lucky Sengoku. Just then, Jude fired the cannon again. It was….

"Huh? I thought Rikkaidai players would last longer than that!" Ryoma exclaimed. It was Kirihara Akaya, who won 3 matches, but lost to Oshitari Kenya, Atobe Keigo, and Fuji Syusuke. Next to him, Pakura was typing rapidly and a satisfied smile spread on her face. Fuji is now battling with another player. Half an hour, Jude fired the cannon, and it was for Fuji Syusuke.

It took them 5 days, but finally when there were 17 players left and the last one (Jiroh Akutagawa) was eliminated by Yukimura Seiichi, Ryoma sleepily took the mike and said, "Alright, we are finally down to the final 16 players. The 16 players who have less than 3 losses, please come to the gym, and we will check your devices. Thank you." The champions yawned and stretched. "Ok, let's go take a look at the final players." The champions went, and sure enough, there were the final 16 players: Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro, Niou Masaharu, Yagyuu Hiroshi, and Yanagi Renji from Rikkaidai, Atobe Keigo, Oshitari Yuushi and Muhaki Gakuto from Hyotei, Oshitari Kenya, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Chitose Senri from Shitenhouji, Tezuka Kunimitsu from Seigaku (yes, he's the only one that made it through), Tachibana Kippei, Kamio Akira and Shinji Ibu from Fudomine, and Takahisa Kajimoto, from Josei Shonan.

"Good. Now we are down to the final 16 of you. Each of you please pick one slip of paper. This slip of paper contains the names of the champions you are going to face. Also, once you picked the paper, we will register the opponents you will need to face" said Coach Mabi. "You have two chances to win. If you win one match against either champion in the slip of paper, you will get in the team. If there is more, we will get the players to play against each other again. Got it?" The 16 players nodded. Under the watch of everyone (including the disqualified ones) they picked a slip of paper from the box. Tezuka went over to his team once he got his. "So, who did you get?" said Eiji excitedly. Tezuka opened the slip of paper. He turned slightly pale as soon as he saw the names. "What's wrong, Tezuka?" said Fuji. Who are you going against?" he showed the piece of paper to the team. The team bit back a scream as soon as they saw the names on the paper.

He is going to play against Pakura Goldstein and Ryoma Echizen.

Omake (I love pranks)

**Inui: Hmm..I can't seem to find information on that pretty champion, Fuji, **

**Fuji: Darn! I was hoping to have a match and bet with her.**

**Inui: What are you going to bet with her about?**

**Fuji: Saa...if I win, she dumps her boyfriend and go out with me. If I lose, well, let's see what she would do.**

**Inui: Why not just challenge her? I am sure she'll accept it.**

**Fuji: You're right! (Goes to twelfth floor)**

**Fuji: Hey Pakura.**

**P: (reading a novel) What do you want, Fuji?**

**F: I am going to challenge you to a match. If I win, you go out with me and dump that boyfriend of yours. If you win…**

**P: Then you accept my gift.**

**F: (thought) Wow, she has a gift for me? Cool. Either way, I win.**

**P: Hold on, while I go get it (goes in her room and comes out with a nicely wrapped box). Ok, let's go have the match.**

**45 minutes later….**

**P: Game set. 6-1. You are not even a challenge, Fuji. Take this. (Gives him the box) **

**F: Thanks (goes to sixth floor) Hey look, everyone, Pakura gave me a present! (Unwraps it)**

**Eiji: It looks like chocolate eggs, nya!**

**F: Indeed it is. She's very generous to give us chocolates. Let's each take one.**

**(Seigaku regulars each take one)**

**Momoshiro: Ok, chow time! (Eats the egg, and immediately runs to the toilet) what the heck is this!**

**Meanwhile at the twelfth floor…**

**Pakura: And so, I coated the real egg with chocolate and wrapped I in aluminum foil! **

**Ryoma: (laughs) Nice one, vice-captain! I like your prank!**

**Atobe: They probably will have a stomachache by now.**

**Narrator: In the toilets, the Seigaku regulars sneezed.**

**BP: Please note, I was watching HunterxHunter while writing this, so it may be bad. Also, I was rushing because I only had an hour to write this. Please review!**


	27. Prior to the Final Matches

**BP: For those who wonder why some of the stronger ones are eliminated on the first day, it's because I eliminated them randomly. Whichever name I can think up of, I'll eliminate them first. I'm sorry if you don't like my choice. Also, the final 16, I chose who I like. I had to include Tezuka (because of the plan), Atobe and the Rikkaidai players, and the Two Wings of Kyushu, because I know they are one of the strongest players. **

Ryoma knew why they called it the light version of the ITM. First of all, the supplies are provided by the coaches before the event itself (In the real one, they had to FIGHT for supplies), there are no deaths (Lucky them. You will die if you lose three times. They just get disqualified), they fight in a constant environment and condition (They change in the real ITM), and the most important of all, they most likely won't get nightmares from the light version of the ITM because they did not experience the trauma of the true ITM.

"So, I have the names of the champions you are going to face. The matches will last four days, and each champion would have to play a match against their designated opponents for the next four days. For the benefit of the champions, I would show them the list, to make sure they know who their opponents are." She pressed a button on the remote, and the list appeared at the screen.

Yukimura Seiichi - William Anderson (1) and Pakura Goldstein (2)

Sanada Genichiro - Jude Harrison (4) and Philip Robinson (2)

Niou Masaharu - Derek Evans (4) and Philip Robinson (1)

Yagyuu Hiroshi - Christopher McKiddie (3) and William Anderson (4)

Yanagi Renji – Tyler Clearwater (2) and Derek Evans (1)

Atobe Keigo – Christopher McKiddie (1) and Derek Evans (3)

Oshitari Yuushi – Philip Robinson (4) and Tyler Clearwater (3)

Muhaki Gakuto – Christopher McKiddie (2) and Jude Harrison (1)

Oshitari Kenya – Ryoma Echizen (2) and Tyler Clearwater (1)

Shiraishi Kuranosuke – Jude Harrison (2) and Philip Robinson (3)

Chitose Senri – Jude Harrison (3) and Tyler Clearwater (4)

Tezuka Kunimitsu – Pakura Goldstein (3) and Ryoma Echizen (4)

Tachibana Kippei – Ryoma Echizen (1) and William Anderson (3)

Kamio Akira – Pakura Goldstein (4) and Derek Evans (2)

Shinji Ibu – Ryoma Echizen (3) and Christopher McKiddie (4)

Takahisa Kajimoto – Pakura Goldstein (1) and William Anderson (2)

Ryoma raised his eyebrows. At least, he didn't need to go against Keigo. Instead, he had to go against Tezuka, Tachibana, Kenya and Shinji. Coach Mabi said, "Oh, and the number next to the champions' names means what day you are going to have the match with them." Ryoam checked the numbers next to his name. So, it means he's going to play with them in this order: Tachibana, Kenya, Shinji and finally, Tezuka. "So, we will begin tomorrow. Everyone can go back to their rooms now." With that, the teams were dismissed. Ryoma immediately ran to Atobe's side, hugging him in front of everyone, congratulating him for getting in the final 16. Atobe, of course, hugged him back and thanked him. Pakura smiled at the scene, and walked away with her fellow champions, knowing Atobe would catch up later. Unfortunately, she walked past Fuji, and as soon as he saw her, he called out to her. "Hey, Princess!" Pakura groaned. Since when did she allow him to call her Princess? "What is it, Fuji?" she said, making sure to keep her bored tone. Fuji gave his signature smile. "I heard you are going up against Tezuka on the third day. I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"Whatever." she said, walking away.

"Hey, is that they way to treat a person who wished you good luck?" said Fuji.

"I don't see why I need any luck. Your captain doesn't look strong. Are you sure you guys are National Champions?" Pakura shook her head. "Anyway, the champions and I show no interest in you Seigaku regulars, since only one made it to the matches anyway." Just then, Ryoma and Atobe arrived, in time to see Fuji walk away, looking pretty angry. "What's going on?" said Atobe. Tyler shook his head. "Nothing much."

"Anyway, let's go back to our floor." Ryoma suggested. They did, and once they arrived, they went to their respective rooms. Once the door was closed, Ryoma walked towards Atobe, and lied on the bed next to him. They sighed contentedly. "You know, Keigo, I hope you will get in the team. I would love for more opportunities to play against you." Atobe smiled. "Me too, Ryoma." He turned and wrapped his arms around Ryoma's waist. Ryoma responded by turning, and snuggling into the warmth. He sighed as the warmth of Atobe's body is perfect for the air conditioned room. Atobe stroked Ryoma's hair. "So finally, the camp is ending soon." Ryoma nodded. "After the matches, they are going to hold a farewell party for all of us. We are going to have to be prepped again for the party. I can't wait for that day. I mean, so much has happened. Take Pakura, for instance. She arrived here wearing a cold expression on her face, and now, look how happy she is."

"It was thanks to you that they got together though." Atobe pointed out.

"Yeah, I figured it's time to get her to start dating again. After all, even when she is depressed, she had helped me a lot, and I wanted to do something for her in return. I respect her because she's deeply principled. She told me she would rather not have a boyfriend than one who is only using her for money of the fact that she is a champion or for any reason, really, except that he likes her for her, and nothing else."

"And in the end, she got what she wanted." Atobe grinned.

Ryoma nodded. "As I spent more time with her in America, shortly after I became champion and gained the fame, I realized it all boils down to this: The people who were your friends before you gained the champion title are the people who are going to be your best friends no matter what. Because they're the ones who love you for you- you in all your cockiness and arrogance- and not because of what they can get out of you. Weirdly, in some instances, even the people who were your rivals before you got famous can end up being better friends than the people you become friends with after you become famous. Even if everyone now believes me, I still need my friends, more than ever. Because they might just be the only people who are willing to tell you the truth. I realized it's lonely being a champion. Luckily for me, I had fabulous friends before I was the ITM Champion."

Atobe was impressed with what Ryoma said. His mentor is a wise person and she cared for Ryoma despite her indifference towards people who she injures and her sadism when it comes to mentoring. "Your mentor really taught you well." said Atobe, kissing Ryoma on the lips. Atobe felt him nod against his head as he returned the kiss. Since they had one day before the final matches, they may as well just catch some alone time together. Meanwhile, in Pakura's penthouse, Pakura was sharpening one of her knives. "So, you're going against Tezuka on the third day, huh?" said Ryoga. Pakura nodded. She sharpened her knife and said, "I'll defeat him if this is the last thing I do!" she threw the knife across the room, and hit an insect that happened to be crawling up her wall. Ryoga said, "Your knife throwing skills are as sharp as ever!"

Pakura smirked. "It's because of my weapons training I have strength. Not even Tezuka could lift my bow, do you know that?"

Ryoga looked intrigued. "Seriously?"

Pakura nodded. "They tried to steal my bow once, as revenge for Ryoma locking them out of the elevator." Ryoga stifled a laugh. "He can't even lift your bow? That's pathetic."

"Unfortunately, that's true." Pakura shrugged. "Perhaps it's the fact that I trained harder than them. I only cared about training and studying and not my appearance or body shape when I was younger. I mean, you don't have to get expensive clothes. You just have to look good in them. Anyway, I was just like you. I ran away from home."

"You what?" said Ryoga incredulously.

"It's not because I wanted to, Ryoga." She slumped on the bed. "It's because after I won, my mother immediately arranged that I will marry a guy called Josh Richter as soon as I turn 18. I wasn't happy because for all these years, they treated me like the family's shame just because I am a girl, and just before I went out of the house, I mentioned that ITM Champions do get their own houses. When they heard it, they expected me to share it with them because they are my family. As if I'll do that, since they are such horrible people in the first place. So, I slapped my mother and left."

"Wow. By the way, what happened to them?" said Ryoga.

"Well, do you know about the recent explosion of the Manhattan Mall?" Ryoga nodded.

"It turns out, my parents and brother, Blake perished in the explosions. My other brother, Chase, had gotten into drugs and fighting with gang members, and ended up in jail. He died in jail a few years ago. "I'm not sorry they died in the explosions, though I was the only living Goldstein member left. I didn't even get a chance to apologize to my mother for slapping her, but then again I'm not sorry!"

Ryoga went over and sat next to her on the bed. He placed an arm around her shoulder. "You're one brave person, sweetheart."

Brave person? Her? No, she wasn't brave. She was broken, forced to be independent at a young age. What she didn't tell anyone was, she still had not forgotten about Natsuhi. She was empty. All of these people partying around her, and she was empty. Her jet black hair was shining softly in the sunlight. But no amount of makeup could and would hide the deadness in her eyes, the emptiness that overpowered that sapphire blue. She was wearing that blue dress at her post victory interview, sitting next to Gerald.

It was as if something in her brain had disconnected. These people weren't her people. They weren't the people that she needed. She needed Natsuhi.

Right now, she wasn't as broken as she was in the past, it's true, but the memories still linger, haunting her dreams. Whether or not Pakura would get over Natsuhi's death—only time would tell.

_"To be honest," Natsuhi confessed, while taking his last breaths in her arms "I hope I can forget about you."_

_Pakura was fine with that._

_She didn't need to be remembered by someone that would disappear soon. _

She had been startled to feel moisture collecting in front of her eyes the minute she remembered that piece of memory while she was in the arena, and now she was even more alarmed by the feeling of salty wetness brimming over her eyelids and dripping down her cheeks. "I'm not brave, Ryoga." She whispered. "And I never will be." Ryoga brought her down to his chest while she cried. He knew she was still plagued by the nightmares. No one was free from the ITM after all. It's even worse when you see your loved ones being chosen along with you and die in front of you. "Shh, it's alright, sweetheart." said Ryoga. He leaned in to muffle her cries, making his lips connect with Pakura's. His other palm rose to blanket her other cheek, and wipe the tears on the way. She immediately responded by wrapping her arms around Ryoga's neck.

She made the right choice. She will forget about Natsuhi, and devote everything to Ryoga.

She had made the right choice, she is trying to convince herself that.

"It's all right, sweetheart. I'm not leaving you. Ever." said Ryoga.

She made the right choice, and she knew it.

Back to Ryoma and Atobe…

"So that's how you made it to the Final 16 for the light version of the ITM. But, compared to the real champions of the ITM, you are still Mada Mada Dane."

"Yeah, I know. You sure you are not nervous?" said Atobe.

Ryoma shook his head. "No. I have been training for three years for this moment. I can't wait for the day I am having a match with Tezuka. He will be defeated so fast he wouldn't know what hit him."

Atobe sighed. "Knew you'd say that. But that's what I like about you." He said, before leaning in for a kiss with Ryoma.

Ryoma broke the kiss, and smiled. He really had a wonderful boyfriend, to be standing by his side, even when everyone hates him, and he didn't back down even when his team accused him of 'fraternizing with the enemy'.

His life is perfect.

Omake (William Anderson)

**Hi, you all know who I am. I am William Anderson, and some of you may remember me being one of the two victims of Inui Juice (Yeah I know) Anyway, I was picked to represent my school for the ITM. I won at the 66****th**** ITM. My heart was pounding as the circular plate lifted me into the arena. I tried to calm down, as the gong counted down to 0. When the gong sounded, I didn't hesitate as I sprinted for the backpack 20 yards to my left, and then I cleared out. I already had to play with someone from All Hallows High School on the first day. I quickly finished her up, and ran to a safe place.**

**I usually wait until players are tired out form winning then I challenge them. It's worked so far, because due to their low stamina, they missed easy balls from me. I tried to block out the screams of players as they are electrocuted. I really did, but those screams would still be embedded in my mind forever. I took their supplies and walked away, trying not to look at their corpses. My partner died on the third day, apparently she lost three times. I do not know much about her, other than the fact that she likes to show off her looks and pretty clothes. Well, I doubt anyone would miss her anyway.**

**Finally, it was the Final Two. I was pitted against a boy from I don't know what school, we were playing and suddenly, we found ourselves sinking in quicksand! Since I was shorter than him, I would be the first to sink completely, meaning he will win! No, I had my family and friends waiting for me back home. I can't afford to die! I tried to remember what I could about quicksand. If I increase the surface area, I will reduce the pressure on the ground, and I will float! I took the position of a dead person, and sure enough, I felt my legs lifting. I crawled out of the quicksand, and watched my opponent continue struggling for life. "Help me…I don't want to die…" he said as his head sunk into the marsh. His mouth was filled with congealed mud, so he couldn't speak. There were some bubbles floating on the surface for a few minutes, then no more. The cannon fires and I won.**

**We are all doing this only for self-defense. Watching people die in the ITM is a norm. But how many people in Japan would know that?**

**BP: Yeah, I know it's bad, because I was watching Beezlebub while writing this…again. Well, do review, though. Reviews encourage me to write more!**


	28. Final Matches Day 1: Champions' dilemma

**BP: Someone asked me how is the ITM legal. Well, it's just a story. I know, I come up with ridiculous stuff. If only you knew me in real life, you would see I am more realistic and I don't believe in fantasy stuff. Also, I am more serious in real life than I am in fanfiction. So anyway, back to the story! Please, no more stupid questions.**

The sun shone through the windows, shining on a certain captain's face, as if it wanted to put his face into the natural spotlight. The boy shielded his face from the irritating light, and got up. He smiled at his sleeping boyfriend next to him. He gently prodded the older boy. "Keigo, wake up." He said softly. The older boy opened his eyes and squinted at Ryoma through sleep gummed eyes. "Ryoma, morning." Ryoma smiled. "Morning to you too." They got up, and refreshed themselves. "So, today's the day, huh?" said Ryoma, wiping his face with a cloth. Atobe nodded. "Yes, today's the first day." Ryoma smiled, and wrung his cloth dry, before stepping out of the bathroom and changing to his New Day Academy regulars' outfit. He grabbed his tennis bag, and went out for breakfast. They were the first ones to arrive at the table. They chose a seat each, and began to fill their plates.

Meanwhile, in another person's room, another pair of eyes opened, sapphire blue could be seen through those eyes. Pakura gasped softly in surprise as she felt a warm presence pressed against her back and when she looked at her waist she saw two arms holding her gently and protectively. Pakura frowned. Her shirt has moved higher to her chest. She blushed as the arms are wrapped around her bare waist. Out of the corner of her eye, she smiled as she found out who is the owner of the arms. She carefully turned, and slowly brought her hand up to Ryoga's face to caress the soft cheek. Ryoga groaned softly and opened his hazel eyes that are so much like Ryoma's. "Today's the day." She said. Ryoga nodded. She sat up on her bed. "I have no intention to reveal I am left handed until my match with Tezuka. I want to catch him by surprise." Ryoga smiled, and nodded. "As you wish, sweetheart." They then went to refresh themselves and Pakura changed into her New Day Academy regulars' outfit as well. They went down to breakfast only to find Ryoma and Atobe already there, eating. She and Ryoga sat down, and she shoveled some French toast onto her plate. She poured syrup over it and took a bite; it tasted like cardboard for some reason. "Chibisuke, who is your opponent today?"said Ryoga.

Ryoma drank his orange juice, and said, "Tachibana Kippei, one of the Two Wings of Kyushu."

Ryoga whistled. "Good luck, Chibisuke."

Ryoma smiled. "Thanks, Aniki."

Just then, the door opened and the other champions came out, wearing their school regulars' jersey. Chris said to Atobe. "Well, I hope we would have a good match today." Atobe smiled. "Thanks. You too, Christopher."

Chris laughed. "Call me Chris."

Atobe laughed. "Alright, Chris."

After breakfast, the Champions (including Atobe) shouldered their tennis bags, and marched into the gym. "Is it just me, or does it seem that there are more people the usual?" Tyler muttered. They looked around, and sure enough, every single seat in the gym is occupied, and people are holding betting slips. Coach Levi walked over, and said, "Sorry, I forgot to mention, this is a public event, so some members of the public came to watch the matches. Also, the matches you guys are playing would be broadcasted on live television, for the benefit of those who couldn't make it. To make it more fun, we allowed them to bet on their favorite players. It was planned a few days beforehand" He was met with glares from the Champions. Pakura narrowed her eyes at Coach Levi. He wasn't looking at them when he said "It was planned a few days beforehand". She knew he was lying. It was most likely thought up of at the last minute. Finally, Ryoma said, "Whatever." And they headed towards the section where the camp players are sitting at. They took their places in the very bottom bleachers, as it was reserved for them, according to the sign on the bleacher. They barely had time to sit down and get their tennis equipment ready, when Coach Mabi announced for the champions and players to take their positions. They did, and the screen lit up. The screen divided the 16 players' names in 8 equal sections that show their odds of winning and their scores. Ryoma looked at his name. His name is in the same section as Tachibana Kippei. Hid odds of winning were 7-1, while Tachibana's were 5-1. 8 of the coaches are now refereeing one match each. The 8 matches are going to happen together.

Next to him, Pakura is looking at the odds board. She was given the odds of 10-1, while her opponent, Kajimoto Takahisa, was given the odds 7-1. Ryoma looked at 5 courts to his left. Ryoga was going to referee the match between Jude Harrison and Muhaki Gakuto. The champions all nodded, silently wishing each other luck. Coach Levi was recording down their bets, and they appeared on the screen, next to their names. Ryoma saw that around 56% of the people bet that Tachibana would win. Also, their latest training scores has been posted as well. The scores give the people an idea of which players have the better chance of winning their matches, and therefore which to bet on. After Coach Levi has finished writing down the people's bets, he nodded towards Coach Mabi, who took her mike and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let the matches begin!" The people on the bleachers cheered, as Ryoma's referee said, "One set match, Tachibana to serve."

Tachibana smiled. "I hope you won't go easy on me, Echizen."

Ryoma smiled. "You too, Tachibana."

Tachibana threw the ball in the air, and used his Wild ball serve. Ryoma saw multiple balls coming to him, but he heard the impact of the racquet hitting the ball, so he knew the course of the real ball. He hit the ball, and said, "There's only one ball."

Tachibana smiled. "You have improved a lot, Echizen."

He returned the ball, only to have Ryoma at the net, using his left hand to add a weird spin to the ball. The ball didn't bounce, but span on the same spot until it stopped.

"15-0!" cried the referee. The score was also shown on the screen, for the benefit of those who can't keep track of all the matches (which basically means everyone). Ryoma stole a glance at the screen and was surprised Pakura didn't even score a single point against Kajimoto. Kajimoto was leading 2-0. As for Atobe, apparently he was struggling with Chris, as they were tied 1-1, and 30-30. Ryoma looked back in time to see Tachibana serving again. The shots were more powerful and faster this time. Ryoma was forced to swap to his left hand. "Not bad, Tachibana, you should be proud of yourself. You actually made me use my left hand." Tachibana smiled, but it quickly turned to surprise as the ball bounced past him. "30-0!" cried the referee. Tachibana served again, and Ryoma returned it. This time, Tachibana returned it with Super Rising Shot. Ryoma smiled. He knew how to return the ball, due to the match with Fuji Yuuta once. Tachibana returned the ball, and Ryoma hit it with such force, he blew Tachibana's racquet away. "40-0!" Ryoma is impressed with Tachibana. He was good enough to force him to use his left hand. He nearly missed the real ball as well when he used the Wild Ball (Abare Drama) serve. Tachibana served again, and Ryoma returned it, and this time, Tachibana returned with such force, Ryoma actually was knocked down by the force of the ball. Tachibana realized what he has done and asked, "Are you alright, Echizen? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to."

Ryoma nodded. "It's alright, Tachibana." He got up and said, "You can serve." Tachibana nodded, and served again. Ryoma returned using his Twist Serve. However, instead of bouncing towards Tachibana's face like expected, it actually bounced away.

"Game, to Echizen, 1-0!" cried the referee. Next to him, Pakura's referee announced, "Game set, to Goldstein, 6-4!" Pakura turned to Kajimoto, who was panting on the ground. "Mada Mada Daze." She said, a line she learned from her boyfriend. "So, you were pretending all this while?" he whispered so that the audience couldn't hear. Pakura nodded. "Glad you noticed." Ryoma turned back, and smiled. Of course. She pretended to be pressurized and the, when the opponent gains confidence, she would shatter it by revealing she could actually return his serves easily. "Echizen to serve" said the referee. Ryoma thought, 'Sorry, Tachibana, I want to end this quickly.' He threw the ball in the air, and served.

1 hour and 30 minutes later….

"Game set, to Echizen, 7-6!" the referee announced. Tachibana shook hands with Ryoma. "That was a great match, Tachibana. You actually forced me to use Muga no Kyōchi, in addition to my new moves." Tachibana smiled. "You are not bad yourself. You made me use Wild Beast Aura (Mōjū no Aura)."

Ryoma swung his racquet over his shoulder. "I hope to have more matches with you in the future."

Tachibana nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Ryoma checked the results of the other matches. He was surprised to see Tyler losing to Kenya, 7-5. Even William lost to Yukimura, but that's probably due to the fact that he used the yips on William. (He was actually sent to the sick room after this). Atobe lost to Chris 6-3, Philip lost to Niou 7-6, Jude lost to Muhaki 7-6, and Derek won 6-4. However, even if you had won the first match, you still have to play in the second match, to test your abilities against the other champion. He walked to the bleachers where the other champions were sitting. Despite the losses, they were grinning because even William (who insisted on coming back to watch Ryoma's match.) had fun playing against the strongest players. "They really have the potential." said Jude. The others nodded their assent. "Let's hope tomorrow's matches would be even better." said William. They watched the coaches (except Ryoga, because he is now standing next to Pakura) giving money to those who had won their bets.

"Let's go, everyone." said Ryoma. Once they finished their matches, they can rest for the day. They stood up, and walked out of the gym. However, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd, and in the process of trying to get out, they were separated. By the time they broke out of the crowd, Ryoma couldn't find his fellow champions, Atobe or his brother. Ryoma sighed, and just navigated his way to their lounge. Meanwhile, Pakura looked around her as she broke out. She knew they would just go back to their rooms, and that's what she did. However, she didn't know she was being followed by a member of the public.

As if by instinct, she shouted, "Come out. I know you are there." She had heard some footsteps that weren't her own, and she knew she was being followed. The boy stepped out. Judging by his appearance, he must be at least twice as old, if not even older, than her. "What do you want?" she said. The man gave her a lecherous smile, and said, "Would you like to go for lunch with me?"

Pakura fought the urge to roll her eyes. She has seen scenarios like this before, strangers (even those that look older than 40) asking her out just because she is very good looking, powerful and talented. "Sorry, I won't go out with men that are so much older than me. Besides, I don't know you."

"Oh, come on. You're single, right?" said the man.

"No, I have a boyfriend." She replied.

"I have a driving theory test tomorrow."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Pakura narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I thought we are naming things we can cheat on."

Pakura snapped. Just like that. She kicked the man where it hurts the most, and when he is down, she kicked him on various parts of the body. She walked away, not even bothering to say anything to the man. Usually, she is a calm, cool and collected individual, but if the person dare tell her Ryoga is not worth her attention, he's going to get it from her.

"What took you so long, Princess?" said William, when she stepped out of the elevator. The other champions, including Atobe and Ryoga, were already at the lounge. Pakura walked over, sat next to Ryoga and recounted what had happened. The champions' faces grew darker as she said each word. When she was done, Ryoma said, "With the public here, I don't think you should go anywhere alone from now on." The other champions nodded in agreement. "I am very sure they are some people who wouldn't take no as an answer."

Atobe nodded. "Yes, although according to Ryoma, you are good at combat, I don't think you should waste it on those people. You still have matches to play tomorrow." They didn't bother to step out of their lounge to train, because mainly, they are tired the ardent fans that constantly follow them and trying to get out of them. Ryoma said, "I think we should just rest for the rest of the day here. The public members aren't allowed to come up and annoy us anyway."

"How did you know that?" said Tyler.

"Before I went up the elevator, there were some people who followed me here, and the guards stopped them. They were protesting at the fact that they are not allowed to come up and meet us up close." said Ryoma.

"I see." said Philip.

"I'm going back to my room now. Let's go, Keigo." Atobe jumped out of his seat, and followed Ryoma back to his penthouse. When Ryoma and Atobe arrived at the penthouse, he sighed. "What's wrong, Ryoma?" said Atobe.

"I don't know. I had enough of those people, only cheering and liking us just because we have skills and talent at such a young age. Maybe they were on to something in Aquinas High School. I heard in there, they drug themselves out and paint god-knows-what on paper. Not such a bad life. Seemed happier than the rest of us, anyway." Aquinas High School was the school that had the most female ITM champions (It's an all-girls school after all). However, according to the latest information gained by Philip, due to their excessive drug intake, many of them died early, which led Pakura to be the only living female champion left.

"Speaking of drugs, did you know what Ryoga told me before you came up?"

"What?"

"Pakura's experiencing withdrawal from white liquor when she tried to stop drinking for your sake. However, she was so determined to fight alongside you against Seigaku, she put up with the symptoms to continue her training. Don't worry, she has Ryoga by her side, so she'll be fine."

Ryoma nodded. "I hope so."

He leaned in and their lips met in a chaste kiss. "Keigo…I hope you win tomorrow. I want you to be in that team." Atobe smiled. "Me too, Ryoma." Their lips met again. This is how they are. Whenever they have the chance for a private intimate moment like this, they do it quietly. There is no need for words. With them it's almost never needed. They understand and know each other so well that it feels that they are born to be with each other, the red strings of fate already tied them together. They both like it this way.

Meanwhile, the other champions are sitting around.

"I guess we can't go training anymore. Why did the coaches have to get the public to come?" Tyler wailed.

"I don't want to get chased by girls again!" William shuddered. "I mean, they don't even know you and they like you for abilities and the looks? No, thank you."

"What do we do now?" said Philip.

"I guess we can't do anything. I mean it's the coaches' decision." said Chris.

Pakura said nothing. She got up from her seat.

"Where're you going, Princess?" said William. She turned to them and said, "I got a few matters to handle. Wait here." She took the elevator to the eleventh floor, and found Coach Levi alone, counting the money he had earned through the course of the day. The other Coaches (except Ryoga) are probably in the meeting room, discussing the matches. He looked up, and found Pakura pointing a knife at the back of his head in the mirror. "Move and I will kill you. Make a sound, and I will kill you. Attack, I will kill you. If you understand, close your eyes." Coach Levi trembled, and closed his eyes. He knew Pakura is not above in hurting others physically. Once, if he remembered, she even stabbed a girl in the ITM to make sure she's really dead. "Now, answer me. You made this a public event because you knew our status as champions would help you earn more money, correct?" Coach Levi meekly nodded.

"I want you to stop this right now. Chase the public members out of the Training Center, and tell them it's a private matter. If you understand, open your eyes, and look at me in the mirror." He did, and saw that her eyes looked like the ones from the underworld.

"But, it was going to be televised anyway, so I may as well-"

"Don't interrupt me, Levi." said Pakura. Coach Levi flinched when she didn't add the word "Coach" in front of his name. "You may be the Head Coach, but if you take one step out of the line, I won't hesitate." Coach Levi trembled. "They can only watch it on television. However, if the players like, they can bring their families to the Training Center and let them watch the matches personally. You better do as I say. Don't use this dirty trick to earn money. Swear it."

Coach Levi nodded, and gulped "Ok, I will."

Later, Coach Levi was talking to Coach Makiyo. "I don't know how the girl can find out about it so quickly."

Coach Makiyo said, "Well, either way, I don't think she can find us alright. Since she only threatened you, it's probably because she knew more about you than any of us. Therefore, she's not an undefeatable player."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong." said a voice. The two coaches looked, and sure enough, Pakura was standing at the doorway. "It has nothing to do with your abilities and position. After all, you are just coaches, so what am I afraid of?" The next second, she was at the windowsill at the other side of the room. 'She's fast.' They thought. "I just thought I can warn you whenever and wherever. When you sleep, when you are in the bedroom….One point of advice, do not try and use us to earn money." With that, she took out a knife, and threw the knife across the room, hitting an insect. "You may be coaches, but I don't respect people who use others status to earn money, Levi and Makiyo. So, if you use our status to benefit you one more time, I won't guarantee you will leave here alive." With that, she walked away. Coach Levi said, "Er…maybe we should stop what we are doing."

Coach Makiyo nodded. "I agree."

Meanwhile, Ryoma was playing Go fish with Atobe. Ryoga was watching them play, while eating an orange, not even bothering to peel off the skin.

"Got any fours?" Atobe asked Ryoma.

"Go fish." Ryoma said, not even looking up from his pile of cards.

"Darn!" Atobe quipped. He looked at his cards again.

"Got any Eights?" Atobe asked.

"Go fish." Ryoma replied.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Ryoma!" Atobe hissed.

"Got any fives?" Atobe asked.

"Go fish." said Ryoma.

"STOP HAVING NO CARDS, YOU BRAT!" Atobe yelled at his boyfriend.

"Mada Mada Dane, Keigo." said Ryoma, smirking.

"By the way, where do you think Pakura went, Chibisuke?" said Ryoga.

"Who knows?"

"Do you think we should look for her?" said Ryoga.

"Nah. I am sure she can defend herself. I mean, she's the best in combat. Also, she's one of the smartest in the team, that's why she's the strategist of the team."

"Good point." Atobe conceded. "Got any tens?"

"Go fish." Ryoma said

"RYOMA, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Atobe roared.

Just then, the announcement buzzer rang through the P.A. system, "Attention, public members. This is Coach Levi, the Head Coach speaking. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, the matches couldn't be watched live, and you are now unable to bet on the players during their matches. Please leave the Training Center immediately. If you still want to watch the matches, please go home and watch it on television. Thank you." The three boys looked at each other in interest. "So, does that mean…" said Atobe.

"That we are no longer being stalked by the public? YES!" Ryoma punched the air with his fist. Atobe smiled. "Whatever made them decide to do this, Ore-sama is glad. Ore-sama don't want so much publicity either." Ryoma thought back on Atobe on how he was surrounded by fangirls back when he was in junior high. Ryoma smiled. His boyfriend's ego has somewhat mellowed. "Well, at least we can train in peace now, without fearing that the public members will come hounding us. Right, Keigo?" Atobe nodded. "Yeah. I sure want to thank the person who helped us."

Ryoga smiled. "Well, I guess you don't need to be worried about girls asking you to pick a girlfriend, do you, Chibisuke?"

"Aniki! I am going to kill you!" He chased Ryoga around the lounge. Ryoga easily danced out of Ryoma's reach. "Mada Mada Daze, Chibisuke."

"YOU! COME BACK HERE, BAKA ANIKI!" Atobe laughed heartily at the scene in front of him.

Later that night….

The elevator dinged, and Pakura stepped out, only to find the Echizen brothers waiting for her. "Where were you, young lady?" said Ryoma.

"Just wandering around." said Pakura. "Haha, even I don't know where I was going."

"Right." said Ryoga. "Next time, please finish your tasks earlier."

"You say the same thing as Ryoma, Ryoga." said Pakura. "You shouldn't do that. Expectation leads to disappointment…"

Her laughter rang through the lounge. The Echizen brothers shivered as they heard her laughter. It sounded evil and cold.

**BP: No omake, because I am too lazy to think of one. I am sorry that this chapter is bad, because I am also starting to feel writers block, and I only had one hour. I just closed my eyes and typed whatever that is in front of me. I even typed things that I am reading without knowing it. Do review. Oh, I would like to ask you readers something in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	29. Final Matches Day 2: Scarlet Anger

**BP: Hmm…I was slightly disappointed by the lack of reviews, but still…never mind. Today, I was in tuition and someone made cookies. My tutor and I tasted it. It was not tasty AT ALL. My tutor took one bite and she stopped eating, while I ate the whole cookie, just to be polite. Later, when I came downstairs, someone asked "How're the cookies?" My tutor shouted from above, "Not tasty at all!" **

The next day, Ryoma and Atobe went down for breakfast, as usual. As always, they were the first ones to be seated at the breakfast table. Today, it was heart shaped waffles, (One of the servers said the heart-shaped waffle maker was a gift for them from Martha Stewart, when she visited.) and even ice cream. The door that leads to the bedrooms opened, and sure enough, Pakura and Ryoga walked out. They greeted Ryoma and Atobe morning, before sitting down and taking their breakfast. Ok, correct that. Ryoga took his breakfast. Pakura merely stared at the food. "What's wrong, Princess?" said Atobe. Ryoma, however, knew what's wrong. Pakura isn't exactly the sweet tooth type of girl. She only ordered ice cream the other day because she wanted to pretend she is just another typical girl, and generally, girls like sweets. However, after she started dating Ryoga, she acted more like herself. "She doesn't like sweets." Ryoma replied, shoveling his waffle with chocolate ice cream.

"That's not good Paku." Ryoga said, cutting a piece of waffle with strawberry ice cream, and poking it with his fork. He placed the said fork in front of her mouth. "Here" he said. Pakura sighed. If she said no, there'll be dire consequences, knowing Ryoga. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, and Ryoga shoved the waffle and ice cream inside her mouth. For the rest of the breakfast time (to the embarrassment of the other champions, except Ryoma) Ryoga alternated feeding himself and feeding Pakura. After breakfast, William and Jude were later seen laughing at Pakura about what Ryoga did during breakfast time when they were in the elevator on the way to the gym. Once at the gym, the champions (except Pakura and Ryoma) found it strange that there are much less people in the gym, except for some that the other players seem to know very well. "I wonder what happened." said Jude. Ryoma looked at him in surprise. "Don't you know? Coach Levi kicked out the public members yesterday."

William looked interested. "Really? I thought Coach Levi is the type to stand firm on his decision, and no requests would waver his choices."

Atobe shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he had a change of heart."

'He should, if he wants to leave this Training Center unscathed.' A certain champion thought. (Who is thinking this sentence?)

"At least we will not worry about being pursued by fans that don't even know us." said Tyler. They placed their bags at the very bottom bleachers, and took out their tennis equipment. They took out their racquets and placed a few tennis balls into their pockets. Just then, Coach Mabi came up to them, carrying a box. "Would you champions kindly pick a number out of the box, please?" The champions obeyed. Ryoma looked at his number. He had a "5". Wonder what that means? Coach Mabi looked at the numbers in their hands, quickly memorized it, and ran to the panel that controls the screen. She typed a few things inside, and the screen turned on. Coach Mabi silenced the other players, before saying, "This would be the order of the matches. Please take note of your names."

1st - Yanagi Renji vs. Tyler Clearwater

2nd - Sanada Genichiro vs. Philip Robinson

3rd – Takahisa Kajimoto vs. William Anderson

4th- Yukimura Seiichi vs. Pakura Goldstein

5th – Oshitari Kenya vs. Ryoma Echizen

6th - Shiraishi Kuranosuke vs. Jude Harrison

7th- Kamio Akira vs. Derek Evans

8th- Muhaki Gakuto vs. Christopher McKiddie

"Would the first players please step on the court now?" said Coaah Mabi. Tyler got up, and took his racquet. "Good luck, Tyler." said Ryoma.

"We will all be behind you." said Pakura.

"Thanks, guys." said Tyler.

Sure enough, an hour later, Tyler won 7-5. He returned, wiping sweat off his forehead. "I'm so tired of people taking data on others and even using it against them." He said angrily. Of course, due to the fact that he is angry, Yanagi learned the hard way that you shouldn't make Tyler angry. Philip got up. His match was next. Poor Philip was pushed back by Sanada's "Fū Rin Ka In Zan Rai". Although Philip has remarkable strength and skill, he still lost 7-6. Sanada actually have to go over to Philip's side of the court and shake his hand. Atobe and Ryoma also have to carry Philip back to the bleachers. Despite the loss and the huge stamina drain, Philip was smiling. He loved the thrill he got when he played Sanada.

Next was William. Poor Kajimoto was overpowered by William, and William won 6-2 in 45 minutes flat. Then it was Pakura. She watched Yukimura walk on the court. According to Ryoma, Yukimura is known as "The Child of God" due to his play style and the fact that he has never lost or dropped a single game before his Nationals Finals match against him (who beats him 6-4 after achieving Teni Muhou No Kiwami). Ryoma also mentioned he was hospitalized due to a neurological disease. Due to the symptoms Ryoma described, Pakura thought the most probable disease is the Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a neurological disease that causes paralysis in the limbs. The surgery he must undergo to cure it only has a fifty percent survival rate. Nonetheless, he took the chance and survived, and that's how he got to where he is today. "Be careful, Paku." said Ryoma. Pakura nodded, as she took her racquet and walked to the courts. "One set match, Yukimura to serve." Yukimura smiled, threw the ball in the air, and served. 30 minutes into the match, Pakura realized why he's called the Child of God. As she returned Yukimura's serves, he took away her five senses. By the time the last sense was taken away, Pakura wasn't afraid, like the other players expected. On the contrary, she didn't even show any signs of distress, because she was in the same situation before, she knew how to overcome it. Yukimura was surprised when he saw a red aura radiating out of the vice-captain's body. Her usual sapphire blue eyes were now scarlet red.

"Oh no!" said Ryoma.

"Not good." agreed Ryoga.

"What's wrong, Ryoma?" said Atobe.

"That's….Scarlet Anger. When a person is in this mode, they vent their hatred, anger, and rage in their serves. Also, the yips didn't have an effect to the person, because the person ignores whatever injuries or disabilities they have to activate this mode. This mode is activated when a person gets exceptionally angry. Pakura's probably extremely angry because the yips reminded her of the ITM. If a person is in this mode for too long, they will….." said Ryoma.

"…lose their minds and in extreme cases, die." finished Ryoga.

Meanwhile, Pakura was smirking evilly. 'The five senses is just an extent of what you feel with your heart. Even if you don't have the five senses, you have to feel with your heart. Also, even if you feel something, if your brain doesn't register it, it's useless.' She threw the ball, and served, trusting her instincts and heart. 'Sayonara, Yukimura.'

2 hours later…

"Game, to Goldstein, 7-6!" Coach Mabi announced. When Pakura snapped out of Scarlet Anger, she dropped to the floor, shaking. She had flashes of the ITM, how she became a monster after unwittingly using Scarlet Anger during her final match. Yukimura, thank God, escaped unscathed. However, Ryoma noted she snapped out of Scarlet Anger easily. He was surprised Pakura can even use it freely. Then he realized why Yukimura escaped unscathed. Pakura deliberately aimed for his right side so that he could return it and avoid injuries. She probably used up most of her energy in order to keep her sanity and the rest was saved for her match against Yukimura, that's why she was tired and shaking (it's a miracle she can even win against Yukimura with her right hand). He didn't know anyone who could keep their sanity through sheer willpower when they get into Scarlet Anger. When he got his racquet out, he saw Ryoga talking to Coach Mabi, before scooping Pakura, and carrying her out of the room.

Ryoma walked to the courts to play against his opponent, Oshitari Kenya.

"One set match, Echizen to serve." said Coach Mabi.

Ryoma started the twist serve right off the bat, and Kenya tried to return it- read tried. The serve bounced away instead of towards his face, which Kenya was prepared of. "15-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma smirked, and did his twist serve stance again. Kenya, who had memorized the path of the twist serve, stood somewhere near the right side of the court, thinking he can intercept it. He was wrong, however. The ball bounced towards the opposite direction, and Kenya was forced to run to the other side in order to return it. Ryoma returned the ball casually like it was nothing, and Kenya swung at the ball, only to realize it was an illusion. The real one was bouncing at the other side. "30-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Coach Mabi barely had time to announce the score before Ryoma threw the ball I the air and served again. This time, it was a normal serve, and yes, Kenya did return it, but Ryoma sliced the ball, and the ball seemingly disappeared. Kenya looked around for the ball, and he realized too late, it bounced behind him. "40-0!" Coach Mabi cried. Ryoma smiled, and served one more time, right all the way to the other side of the court. Kenya was forced to run to the other side of the court in order to return the ball.

Ryoma's strategy couldn't be clearer. He intended to get Kenya tired. Once he is tired, Ryoma will strike from there. The Shitenhouji members were tempted to tell Kenya not to run anymore. However, if he didn't run, he would have missed a ball, which would let Ryoma score points. They were in a dilemma. The ball bounced past Ryoma. "Game, to Oshitari, 3-2! Oshitari lead!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma looked at Kenya, who was already panting, having been running full speed in order to catch up with the ball. He smiled, threw the ball, and served.

1 hour later….

"Game, to Echizen 6-3!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma walked away, and sat down next to Atobe, who had a notebook and was jotting down something.

"So, we need at least 1 win to get in the team, right?" Ryoma nodded, as he took a long drink from his bottle. Atobe went on, "So far, the ones who has one win are Yukimura, Kenya, Muhaki, Niou, Sanada. So, their places are definitely secured. Yanagi and Kajimoto are kicked out due to the fact that they lost both matches." Ryoma nodded. "Thanks for the information, Keigo." Atobe nodded, and leaned down to give Ryoma a kiss on the lips. Later, Jude Harrison won Shiraishi 6-4, Derek won 6-2, and finally, Chris won 6-3. Then, they were dismissed. The champions practically rushed out of the gym, and went back to their rooms, all the while talking about the matches. They met Ryoga at the twelfth floor penthouse. Ryoga said Pakura is resting now, and she would probably be able to play again tomorrow. She showed up for dinner, though, and started on her baked chicken, carefully peeling off the skin (she doesn't like the skin, due to the fact that it is soft and slimy, in her opinion). Ryoma filled her in on the matches that happened after she was carried out of the gym. "…and so, the person who got in the team so far is Yukimura, Sanada, Niou, Muhaki and Kenya. Yanagi and Kajimoto lost both matches, so they are out of the running for the 8 places." He concluded, drinking his juice.

Atobe nodded. "So, Tezuka, Oshitari, Shiraishi, Chitose, Tachibana, Kamio, Shinji, Yagyuu and I are competing for the last 3 spots."

Tyler nodded. "Well, good luck for tomorrow, Atobe, Derek."

Derek smiled. "I won't go easy on you, Atobe."

Atobe smiled. "I was hoping you wouldn't."

Meanwhile, at the sixth floor, a certain captain's phone rang. The person gave a glare at his teammates to be quiet, and then picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said.

"Kunimitsu, is it true you are going to play tomorrow?"

"Yes, mom." said Tezuka.

"Well, who is it?"

"Some girl called Pakura Goldstein."

"Alright! We're coming to support you, Kunimitsu! Playing against a champion, it's quite an honor!" his mother gushed.

Just then, he heard his grandfather's voice. "Goldstein, did you say? What does she look like?"

"Well, she had black hair and blue eyes. Why?"

"No, I was just wondering if she could be related to Chase Goldstein. According to research, the family Chase Goldstein belonged to all had dark brown hair and gray eyes. Since that girl had black hair and blue eyes, it's highly unlikely she belonged to that family. Anyway, the family was said to have only two children, though I don't know who the other Goldstein child is."

"Chase Goldstein? As in the criminal you caught 10 years ago?"

"Yes, apparently he was trying to smuggle drugs into Japan, and he did put up a good fight."

Tezuka smiled. "Yeah, thanks to your karate moves, you caught him."

"Of course, Kunimitsu. Well, we'll be coming to root for you, good luck!" With that, he hung up the phone. Tezuka closed the phone.

"What is it, Tezuka?" said Inui.

"No, Oji-san is just asking me if that Pakura girl could be related to Chase Goldstein, but then dismissed it because they don't even look like each other."

"I see. Well, you better rest for tonight, Tezuka. You are our only hope in representing Seigaku in the Japan team. We don't need you to be tired halfway during the match." Tezuka nodded.

Meanwhile, in Ryoma's penthouse, Ryoma was eating a Nutty Royale ice-cream cone (ordered) while contemplating something. Atobe went over to him and said, "Ryoma, what's wrong?" Ryoma turned and said, "I wonder if Pakura would win her match tomorrow."

"She will. After all, she has trained for this moment, right?" Ryoma nodded, licking his ice-cream cone, and crunching on the nuts. "Yeah, but I'm afraid of what Tezuka has up his sleeve. Maybe he will even injure her during the match."

Atobe nodded, understanding what he meant. Then, a thought struck him. "Then again, isn't she the type to ignore her injuries and continue playing?"

Ryoma nodded. "True." He smiled. "Then, I guess I have nothing to worry about, because no matter what happens, she wouldn't give up."

Atobe nodded, smiling. "That's the spirit, Ryoma. Oh by the way, can I have a bite of your ice cream?"

Ryoma smiled playfully. "No. But you can have this." He coated his lips with ice-cream, and pressed his lips against Atobe's. Atobe took advantage by licking Ryoma's lips until they are free of ice cream, before thrusting his tongue into his mouth. When they broke apart, Atobe licked his lips. "Hmm, Ore-sama tastes vanilla, chocolate with a hint of sugar. Not a bad taste for a kiss."

Ryoma waved his ice cream teasingly. "Do you want some more?"

Atobe smirked. He knew what Ryoma meant.

He pounced.

In Pakura's room, the owner and her boyfriend are lying on the bed. Pakura was sharpening her knives as usual. "So, tomorrow's the day, huh?" said Ryoga. Pakura nodded. She sliced one of the wooden boards in her room with the said knife.

At the different place, but at the same time, the captain and the vice-captain said, "Tezuka Kunimitsu, you're going down!"

Omake (Arm wrestling) 

**Note: For this omake's sake, the champions are all in the same class and same school**

**William: Philip, you just have to bomb our school with another one of your inventions, don't you? **

**Philip: Sorry, Will. **

**W: Sorry isn't going to cut it. **

**Chris: Whatever, Let's get to our assigned class in our temporary school, Bronx Academy of Letters. **

**(In the class…)**

**Derek: That's weird. I wonder why all of us are assigned to the same class. I mean, isn't Pakura supposed to be a senior and Philip a junior? **

**Chris: Fair point. Shh, the teacher's here.**

**Teacher: hello, my name's Alex McLain. Let me just say this: I won't tolerate any of you misbehaving. (Thinks) Maybe I should use one student as an example. (sees Pakura sleeping) Ah-ha! I got myself a pushover. (walks over to Pakura) Hey, you! Wake up!**

**P: (wakes up) Huh?**

**Teacher: Why don't you and I have a friendly arm wrestling match? As a way to get to know each other?**

**P: Are you sure you can win? **

**T: (thoughts) I may not look it, but I am one of the best in arm wrestling when I was younger. I never lost a match. Beside, you're a girl, what am I afraid of**

**Teacher: (Grasp Pakura's (right) hand, with his elbow on the table)Ready….GO!**

**P: (uses too much strength, and actually flung through the wall.) Ah crap…I overdid it. **

**Ryoma: (Yawns) The teacher is mada mada dane…**

**BP: Well, I was watching Beelzebub while writing this, so it may be bad. Please review!**


	30. Final Matches Day 3: Pride vs Shame

**BP: (Extremely) disappointed by the lack of reviews, although I do not let my emotions show on my face. Oh well, what can I do? All I can do is to continue to update, like all of you wanted…right? Really, all I can hope is that there will be more reviews in this and the future chapters. **

**Warning: There's OOC involved.**

_"Forget about being together forever. We can't have it anymore." With that, his hand fell limp._

_The cannon fires. The girl pressed her hands to his chest, pressing her ears to his chest, hoping to revive him back to life, even for a second, when it was clear that he couldn't be brought back. "Come on, Natsuhi, please." The girl pleaded. She pressed his chest a few more times, saying, "Don't go." Thankfully, no one appeared all the while she tried to revive him. _

_At night, the board with the faces of players remaining in the arena appeared. They focused on Natsuhi's face, before his face disappeared from the board. Just like that. Up there, she could see a brief glimpse of her face on the board. It was clear she was the only hope for New Day Academy to win. She forced herself to get up and leave Natsuhi. She heard the hovercraft appear to collect Natsuhi's body._

_She didn't turn back. _

The said girl got up, sweating all over. She checked the clock. It said 6.32a.m. she took a stuffed toy, and threw it against the wall, so that her boyfriend wouldn't be disturbed. No one wins the ITM. The girl did not feel like going back to sleep, so she went to take a long shower and refreshed herself. She dressed in her New Day Academy outfit, and decided to go to the roof for some fresh air, only to find Ryoma and Tyler already there, talking.

"Morning, Princess." they said in unison.

"Morning, Ryoma, Tyler." said Pakura. "I didn't know you two will be up that early."

Ryoma shrugged. "Well, I just couldn't sleep. Oh, if you are wondering where Keigo is, I let him sleep in. This is the first time I woke up earlier than him."

"Same here. I got woken up by my nightmares…again." said Pakura.

Tyler nodded. "Yeah. I know among all our nightmares, yours are the worst."

"Yeah, I know, right?" She checked the time. "Hey, let's go and have breakfast now."

They went to join the other champions for breakfast, and after that, they went to the gym. They did not expect the gym to be occupied, since it's only 7a.m. and the matches start 2 hours later. Meanwhile, a certain captain's family is going to the Training Center to support their son (or grandson). They came earlier due to the fact that they wanted to explore the Training Center before going to the gym to watch the matches. After telling the receptionist who they are related to (they even had to show their Identity Cards to prove it), they pressed the button to the 17th floor, as Tezuka mentioned that that is the tennis floor. When the doors opened, there were already 10 people inside. (9 champions and Atobe. Ryoga's a champion, remember?). No one noticed them. They heard the nearest three (Pakura, Ryoma and Tyler, the strongest three) talking to one another.

"Ryoma, do you receive discrimination because you're going out with another male?" said Tyler.

Ryoma said, "Well, so far, no. I mean, why would I be discriminated just because I like people from the same gender?"

"That's because it's wrong." said a voice. The three turned to find that they have company.

"Who said that?" said Tyler.

"Me." said the younger man. He resembled a certain captain that Pakura is going to beat today.

"Shut up and mind your own business." Tyler turned back to his friends. "I bet those three will hate it in the Village in America. People of the same gender kiss and hold hands in the neighborhood all the time. They probably have a fit during the Gay Pride Parade, where everybody is kissing and holding hands and shouting, 'We're Here, We're Queer, Get Over It.'"

"How dare you talk to us like that?" the woman shouted. Her shouts caught all the attention of the champions, and they walked over to see what was going on. "What the heck's with all that shouting, woman?" said William.

"Your friend told us to shut up and mind our own business."

"That's because you interrupted our conversation, saying that people of the same gender shouldn't like each other." said Pakura.

"Seriously?" said Jude.

"Well, if that is what Pakura said, than it must be true." said Atobe.

"Pakura?" said the younger man. "As in…Pakura Goldstein?"

"That's right. The one who will be playing your son today." said Chris.

"By the way, why do you hate homosexual people?" said Jude.

"Well, it's just wrong." said the woman. "Don't you all think so?"

"No. In fact, our captain and Atobe are currently dating. In fact, half of the champions here like boys. I'll only say this once: We'll thank you not to inflict your stupid beliefs on us. We don't respect people who have problems with other's personality. Not even elders. If you insult our sexual orientation…" here, her eyes narrowed, looking ominous. "I will not hesitate to hurt you." Just then, the elevators dinged, and more of the teams filed out. The champions gave the Tezuka family a contemptuous look, and they headed for the bleachers. When everyone arrived, the Champions picked a number as usual. Pakura got a "8" so she and Tezuka are going to play last. Coach Mabi memorized their numbers, and went over to type the matches that are going to happen in order:

1st- Shiraishi Kuranosuke vs. Philip Robinson

2nd- Chitose Senri vs. Jude Harrison

3rd- Atobe Keigo vs. Derek Evans

4th- Yagyuu Hiroshi vs. Christopher McKiddie

5th- Shinji Ibu vs. Ryoma Echizen

6th- Oshitari Yuushi vs. Tyler Clearwater

7th- Tachibana Kippei vs. William Anderson

8th- Tezuka Kunimitsu vs. Pakura Goldstein

Philip got up, and took his racquet. "Good luck Philip!" said Chris.

"Thanks, Chris." With that, he walked on the courts.

45 minutes later, Philip won 6-3. He walked back to the court, and Jude was up next. He was nervous because he was going up against one of the Two Wings of Kyushu. Surprisingly, he won 7-6, though Chitose was good enough to the point that he nearly drained all of Jude's stamina. Derek lost his game 7-6 as well, which earned Atobe a spot in the Japan team. Ryoma was later seen kissing him in congrats. Tezuka's family looked like they wanted nothing than to shout every foul name they know at Ryoma and Atobe, but they were instantly silenced by the killer glares of all the champions. Christopher lost 6-4 in his next game. Ryoma won his game in 25 minutes flat, 6-0 because he knew Shinji's play style and how to overcome it. Tyler won his next game 6-2. William later won his next game 7-5. Finally, it was Pakura's turn.

"Go, Princess! Destroy him!" said Tyler.

"We'll all be behind you!" said Ryoga.

"Yeah, show him what you got!" said Ryoma and Atobe in unison.

Pakura smiled, took her racquet and walked to the courts.

"From Seigaku, we have Tezuka, captain! From Chess Pieces, we have Goldstein. Class: Knight! One set match, Goldstein to serve."

"Looks like I'll defeat the protégé before I beat the mentor."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Echizen mentored you, right?"

"Which one?"

"The younger one."

The champions burst out laughing. Pakura got a hold of herself, and said, "No. I am the mentor. Ryoga mentored me, it's true, but I was the one who mentored Ryoma."

'If I defeat the mentor, I bet Echizen would forfeit, thinking he couldn't win, and I'll win myself a spot on the team.' Tezuka thought.

Pakura thought. 'I think I should start easy.' She threw the ball and served. Pakura widened her eyes when she saw an aura emitting out of Tezuka. 'Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Hard Work)' He returned her serve with twice the strength. Pakura ran, and returned the ball, and returned it with ease. 'I have to admit, strength isn't one of my better departments. I only had remarkable strength due to my weapons training. He's currently using Pinnacle of Hard Work, so I might be at a disadvantage. I'll play a weakling for now, and then I'll come out fighting.' but, before she could finish her thought, the ball Tezuka returned, bounced, span on the spot for a few seconds, before it bounced away from her face. As part of her plan, Pakura screamed, and ran away from the ball. "15-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Pakura frowned, and served again. However, she is only using normal serves. "Goldstein, you don't happen to know who Chase Goldstein is, do you?" said Teuzka, as he returned the ball. Pakura fumbled, and the ball bounced past her. "30-0!" Coach Mabi announced.

"How should I not know Chase Goldstein? He's my brother." Pakura replied.

The Tezuka family gasped. So, the Goldstein family Kunikazu believed to have perished in the bombing has one more living member?

"Your brother is really pathetic, getting himself jailed. I bet his family is just the same as him." said Teuzka.

"It doesn't matter anyway. They don't even treat me as part of the family. I bet your grandfather, being a former policeman, didn't even make the link to me and Chase. So don't compare me and my brother." With that, she served again, but Tezuka returned it. Pakura could easily return the ball, but she let the ball blow off her racquet. "40-0!" Coach Mabi announced.

The rally continued, until Pakura tried to return the serve, but she fell down. "Game, to Teuzka, 3-0!" Pakura got up, and dusted herself. "Oh man…he's too strong for me. Oh well…" Tezuka served, and used Atobe's World of Ice on her. 'Now….freeze!' Surprisingly, the ice spikes on the ground all broke. 'What? She had no weak points?' Pakura smirked. 'He found out.' she thought. She slammed the ball on the court. "15-30!" Coach Mabi announced. "You noticed?" she smirked. "Well, then it's my turn…" she swapped her racquet to her left hand. "She threw the ball in the air, and served. The ball disappeared. Tezuka tried to find out where the ball is, and found it grazing his arm. The Tezuka Zone failed to locate the ball. It was almost like the ball was burning through his skin. He clutched to his arm in pain. "I hate to say this, but Scorch Serve is even stronger if I use my left hand." Tezuka tried to ignore the burn, threw the ball in the air, and served. Pakura jumped in the air, and hit the ball back. The ball span on the ground when it hit until it stops spinning. "30-all!" Coach Mabi announced.

"So you were pretending all along?" said Tezuka.

Pakura nodded. "I won my ITM by pretending to be weak, and then I revealed I am actually a cold hearted 'murderer'."

'I pretend not to care, to be strong, I pretend to be whole, I pretend I am fine.  
I drink to leave, forget the past, the insanity, and the fear.  
I lie about my feelings, my pain, my hurt my anger, my sanity.  
I don't even know if I am sane anymore.

Tezuka, I am so jealous of you, to have such a loving family who cared for you. How must it feel like to be the apple of your family's eye, to be the family's pride? I will never know. Me, I grew up with a family that does not even pay attention to me, I grew up too fast as a result. I have done nothing but reading books and training all my life. I wish I knew love. Thanks to champions, to Ryoma, I finally had Ryoga. I'll pay him in kind.'

Tezuka threw the ball in the air and served it to her. Pakura returned it with ease, and suddenly she took a stance. Ryoma gasped. "That's…."

Tezuka returned the ball, and Pakura returned it. However, something is happening to Tezuka. Every time he tried to swing the ball, he ended up swinging the wrong ball. Also, his senses seemed to be blocked, like in the yips, the only difference being he can hear Pakura's voice, like an echo, but he couldn't see her. "Now, I'll show you the Champions anger for betraying our captain and the Champions true power." He couldn't see the ball, and every time it hits him, it's as if a knife has stabbed that particular area.

"Game, Goldstein, 3-all!" Coach Mabi announced. Pakura was deliberately aiming for his legs and arms. Finally, he saw one ball and hit the Zero Shiki Drop Shot, but suddenly, Pakura disappeared, where is she? He saw her standing in front of him, and he felt the ball hit his shoe. She returned it?

"Game, to Goldstein, 6-3!" Coach Mabi announced.

Pakura swung her racquet on her shoulder. "Your family is very biased against homosexuals. Well, let me tell you this, it's pathetic. I don't care if you are the family's pride. I say the opposite." Tezuka glared at her. "You're pathetic." Tezuka collapsed from his injuries.

"Kunimitsu!" Tezuka's family ran out to help their son/grandson.

"Tezuka!" his teammates also rushed on the court.

"What was that for? He didn't do anything wrong to you!"

"Hey, don't get me wrong. I am not doing this for my revenge. It's for someone else's." her eyes bore the unmistakable look of being from the underworld (of course, since she's born on the wrong side of the tracks).

"That was so cool, vice-captain!" said Tyler.

"Yeah, you were so amazing back there!" said William

"Good job, sweetheart." said Ryoga.

"Thanks everyone."

"Alright, let's go, everyone." said Ryoma. The champions left, leaving the others on the court.

At lunch, Atobe was telling the champions who got in the team, which are Yagyuu and himself. "So, there is only one spot left, and Oshitari, Chitose, Tezuka, Kamio, and Shinji are vying for the last spot. I bet the matches would be more intense tomorrow." The champions nodded. Pakura, however, was picking on her tuna salad. "What's wrong, Princess?" said William.

"Must be nice, isn't it, to have family that loves you so much. I feel so jealous of Tezuka to have such loving parents." She murmured.

"Yeah, and look how great he and his family turned out." said Tyler sarcastically. "I won't give respect to that family, thinking they can inflict their beliefs on us and then expecting us to change for them."

Just then, the elevator dinged, and Coach Levi stepped out. "Er…may I have a word with Pakura?" Pakura stood up, and followed Coach Levi to the lounge.

"Is it about today's match?' said Pakura.

Coach Levi shook his head. "No. Techinically you were not breaking any rules, so we can't do anything to you. I am here for another reason."

"What is it?"

"Well, after the fourth day of matches, we are going to organize a dance that requires you all to ask a person to be your date. I really need you to say yes for me to bring a few lucky girls to the Training Center so that the boys can choose who they want to take to the dance."

"Erm…How are you going to do that?"

"Well that's why I need your permission to bring the public on the fourth day."

"Only teenage girls I presume?"

"Yes, only teenage girls."

"But, does your date necessarily have to be of the opposite gender?" said Pakura, giving Coach Levi an "if-you-say-yes-I'll-kill-you" glare.

"No. You can ask the ones from the same gender if you like. Why?"

Pakura sighed. "I'll confide this to you: This morning, the Tezuka family interrupted us when we are discussing about homosexuality, and they flat out told us homosexuality is wrong. Also, they tried to inflict their beliefs that same genders couldn't love on us."

"I see."

"I assume you are going to invite all the girls from each schools tennis club?"

"Yes."

"What if the girls didn't get a date to the dance?"

"Then, they will be ushered out of the Training Center. They will only be here for one day. Please?" Coach Levi pleaded.

"Fine. On a few conditions: 1, that the Tezukas doesn't disturb us again. 2, be sure to announce that you are allowed to bring boys of the same gender."

Coach Levi nodded. "Thank you, Pakura." With that, he got up. "Help me wish good luck to all of them for tomorrow's match, won't you?" Pakura nodded, and returned to her table. "What did Coach Levi want, Pakura?" said Ryoma.

"He wanted to seek my permission to get the girls form every school's tennis clubs so that you all can choose your date for the dance after the matches. Of course, I made him promise that we are allowed to take those of the same gender as your date, for Ryoma's sake. Oh and Coach Levi wishes us all good luck for tomorrow's match."

Ryoma nodded. "Thank you, Pakura."

Pakura nodded, and continued on her salad.

"Tomorrow's your match with Tezuka. You should eat more, Ryoma." said Atobe.

Ryoma nodded. "Thanks, Keigo."

Ryoma silently smirked. 'Tezuka Kunimitsu, Seigaku's captain tomorrow, I'll finish you off. Let me tell you, I am more dangerous than Pakura.'

**BP: I was watching Beelzebub so it may be bad. Please review! As stated above, I am very disappointed by the lack of reviews, so I need more to encourage me! Please don't disappoint me like you all did during some points in the story! **


	31. Final Matches Day 4: Captain vs Captain

**BP: Yay, I got more reviews! Thanks for not disappointing me, since this is what my family and friends have been doing lately, and I am so sick and tired of it! Speaking of which, the other day, my friend was yelling at me because I had forgotten to reply to his messages. I was busy, and I had no time to charge my phone, so how would I be able to reply, I ask you? Anyway, I am in a slight bad mood, so please don't aggravate me today.**

The next day, was the day of the final matches. This time, there were more people (mainly teenage girls and their coaches) seated on the bleachers. The girls were clearly chatting very excitedly about the upcoming matches. The champions were walking towards the gym at a leisure pace. Pakura handed her bag to Ryoga. "I need the bathroom for a while. Could you take this bag to the gym, please?" Ryoga nodded, and she then started off to the elegant ladies room. She went into one stall. As she was doing her business, two girls came in.

"I can't wait to see Echizen being beaten by Teuzka-senpai! He deserved it after betraying us three years ago!" said the loud mouth one.

"I know, Tomo-chan." said the girl. "Let's hope he loses. I can't believe he dared to show his face after he betrayed us, according to the senpais. I can't believe I even liked him!" Just then, the toilet flushed, and another girl walked out. Tomoka and Sakuno were surprised someone actually overheard them. The worst part, judging by her uniform and stern look, they knew she was champion, and is possibly one of the strongest. They might have ruined their chances to meet her up-close later on. The girl didn't utter a word. Then she turned around, walked over to the sinks, rinsed her hands, dried, and tossed the paper towel accurately into the bin, and left the room.

All in complete and utter silence. Pakura returned to the gym in time to pick out the numbers in the box. She picked out a "3" this time. Coach Mabi memorized their numbers, and typed in the matches that are going to occur in order:

1st- Sanada Genichiro vs. Jude Harrison

2nd- Niou Masaharu vs. Derek Evans

3rd- Kamio Akira vs. Pakura Goldstein

4th- Oshitari Yuushi vs. Philip Robinson

5th- Chitose Senri vs. Tyler Clearwater

6th- Shinji Ibu vs. Christopher McKiddie

7th- Yagyuu Hiroshi vs. William Anderson

8th- Tezuka Kunimitsu vs. Ryoma Echizen

Jude stood up, holding his racquet. "Good luck, Jude!" Ryoma cried. Jude turned and smiled. "Thanks, captain."

Jude surprisingly won Sanada 7-6. Next it was Derek, and it was a trickster vs. trickster match (because Derek and Chris were one of the more playful ones and they are the ones who played the most pranks). In the end, Derek won 6-4. Next, it was Pakura. This time, she used her left hand, and wiped Kamio out 6-0 in 30 minutes flat. Everyone, especially the two girls she saw earlier in the bathroom were in awe by her techniques. (Well, except for Seigaku). Then it was Philip's turn. It was a long and hard battle, but he lost 7-6 in the end, which means Oshitari got the spot. However, they still need to play on. If there is one more player who won their match against a champion, that means the last two players who won would have to play against each other for the last spot. However, Oshitari needn't be worried, because Tyler won his match 6-3, Chris won his match 6-2 (Thanks to Ryoma's info), and William won Yagyuu 7-5. Finally, it was the match everyone was waiting for.

Ryoma took his racquet and walked out on the courts to face his former captain. "And finally, we got the 8th match! From Seigaku, we have Tezuka, captain! From Chess Pieces, we have Echizen, captain! One set match, Tezuka to serve!" Tezuka threw the ball in the air, and hit the ball. Ryoma, hearing the impact, managed to get to the path of the ball, and returned it with ease. Tezuka hit the ball so fast Ryoma could hardly read the path of the ball, but he managed to intercept the ball and hit it nonetheless. Ryoma knew Tezuka was using the Tezuka Zone, because all the shots seemed to be directed back to him. However, Ryoma changed to his right hand to break the Zone because he did not know where the ball will land when he uses his right hand, other than the fact that it would not land outside the courts. Ryoma used a smash Tezuka never saw before.

"15-0!" Coach Mabi announced.

Tezuka served again, and this time, Ryoma used his new twist serve, which is more powerful, spin-wise. It bounced away from Tezuka.

"30-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Tezuka served once again, and Ryoma used his Cyclone Smash. The move managed to blow the racquet out of Tezuka's hands. "40-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Finally, a few minutes later, Ryoma managed to score one point. Tezuka then used his Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Hard Work). Ryoma was pushed back when he used Hadokyuu. One even hit him on the stomach, and he fell to the ground, winded. "Game, Tezuka, 2-1!" Coach Mabi announced. "Tezuka leads!"

Ryoma went back to the time in his ITM…

"_Hello everyone, and welcome to the picking of the tennis players for the 72__nd__ ITM. Our school was lucky enough to be chosen for this ITM. Now, ladies first." Pakura was sitting on the stage because she was a past champion._

_The principal placed her hand in the glass ball, and read out the name. "Rachel Emerson." A blond girl who always stuttered and drooling over cute boys, stepped out on the stage. "Now, for the boys." The principal picked out a slip of paper from another glass ball. "Ryoma Echizen!" Pakura sat up, horror written all over her face._

"_Well, as you both know, I am Pakura Goldstein, and I will be training you for the ITM." said Pakura. She gritted her teeth and her fists were shaking. Ryoma, up until the camp, assumed she was angry, when really she was suffering from withdrawal. Then, Ryoma didn't know anything. Pakura first told them to run 50 laps around the Training Center. Ryoma finished first of course, but Pakura had to wait at least 5 hours before Rachel came up, panting and stuttering that she had lost her way. Pakura told Rachel off, and told her to go and sleep, while she talked to Ryoma. Ryoma sat down, and she said, "Do you want to be stronger?" Ryoma nodded. _

"_Then you better do as I say."_

_The next few days, Pakura had him training hard. If he even stopped for a single second, she slapped him, telling him to train some more or else she's not going to help him anymore. Not wanting to fall out with his best friend, he complied. She made him run up hills, whipping the ground near him as he did so, for him to run faster. When it was time for meals, while Rachel got the finest food, Ryoma had to make do with salad, meat, fish and milk, and more training. During breakfast, Pakura sadistically made him have American breakfast while she ate Japanese breakfast in front of his face (he later found out she didn't really like Japanese breakfast). She taught him everything she knew, and made sure he knew all about plants (she hit his head once for each wrong answer). Finally, it was time for launch. _

_Ryoma hugged Pakura in the launch room, and Pakura gave him an iron grip on his wrist._

_"You have to defeat him, Ryoma." She said, referring to Josh, the leader of the Chess Pieces._

_"Don't worry."_

_"Swear it. On something you care about."_

_"I swear it. On my life."_

_"On your family's lives."_

_"On my family's lives."_

"_Good. In the arena, don't confront the other players yet. Find the nearest water source, refresh yourself, and make sure to spy on the other players and find out information about them before challenging them. Most of all, you have to stay alive. You must win this, Ryoma."_

"_I will." _

_She kissed him on the cheek, and he stepped on the plate. The glass cylinder closed around him. The plate lifted him up, separating him from his mentor. He waited for the gong to ring. Once it did, he turned and ran, to find the nearest water source. He refreshed himself and hid to find out about the other players. On the first day, he easily defeated one of the girls in the arena, and he ran right after he won the match. Night came, and the faces of the fallen players were shown on the sky. As he thought, Rachel died on the first day, probably due to the trackers._

_Ryoma followed Pakura's advice. Stay alive, and spy on the other players. He waited until they are tired before challenging them. The best (or the worst) part about this ITM, you are not allowed to back down from challenges (unless you are willing to count it in the number of losses you have so far). He managed to wipe out the bigger and stronger ones. Also, he set traps to get player together and let the strong set it out, before stepping in and defeating them. Then, it was the Final Two._

_He was up against a guy called Josh Richter, the guy Pakura wanted him to defeat. _

_When they met at a certain area for their match, Josh flicked his blond hair, and said, "You're from New Day Academy, aren't you?" _

"_Yes, so what?"_

"_Well, all I can say that it's a shame Pakura ran away from her home. If she didn't, she'd have married the great me! She should be honored to marry me, but then, she just had to run aw-" Ryoma hit him on the face with a tennis ball. "Don't say anything about my mentor."_

"_Very well. Let's get started. When I win you, I'll return as a victor, find and marry Pakura straight away!" Josh said, and served._

_The match was an intense one. Both were heavily injured, but neither wanted to give up. Ryoma remembered Pakura's words. "Don't give up, Ryoma. We still need to beat Seigaku together." Ryoma mustered up the last of his strength, and his Josh with a twist serve, and his victory was announced after Josh was electrocuted. _

_He won. He can now train with Pakura and Tyler to defeat Seigaku. Until then, they will train hard….together._

Ryoma panted as the ball bounced past him. "Game, Tezuka, 4-2!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma got up, and wiped his sweat off. His tired look was replaced with a look of determination. He will win this no matter what! Keigo, Pakura, Tyler, William, Philip, Jude, Chris, Derek, Ryoga. They went through so far for him, without them, he would not be here. He will win this, for the champions.

For Keigo.

'It was fun, playing tennis with them.' Ryoma thought, smiling.

Ryoma unleashed the Pinnacle of Perfection once more (not that the players knew it, except the champions), and played against Tezuka again. His speed, stamina, and power have increased. He returned even the most complicated of shots, returning them with even more speed and power.

"Game, Echizen 4-3!"

Not even 5 minutes later…

"Game, Echizen, 4 games all!"

Tezuka couldn't even return a single shot.

And half an hour later….

"Game, to Echizen, 6-4!" Coach Mabi announced. "So, congrats to the 8 who will be representing out team! They are Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro, Niou Masaharu, Yagyuu Hiroshi, Atobe Keigo, Oshitari Yuushi, Muhaki Gakuto, and finally, Oshitari Kenya!" The players cheered. Pakura remembered what their objective was, and nudged Atobe. She nodded to the other champions, and they got up from the bleachers. Atobe nodded, and both of them secretly went down to the courts. Atobe said to Tezuka, "Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting what, Atobe?" said Tezuka.

"To admit you're wrong in front of everyone, remember?"

Tezuka turned, only to be slammed on the ground. There was a scuffle before he found out who was pinning him down. It was Pakura. She was holding a knife to his throat. "Stay still." She hissed. "Or I won't guarantee what would happen to your teammates." Sure enough, every champion is holding up at least one Seigaku member. "Do you even know why you even got in the Final 16?" She pulled his hair to keep his head down. She was sure she had the public's attention now. His family is trying to get to him, but they were restrained along with the Seigaku members. "In fact, our plan was to eliminate all of you in the light version of the ITM, but we requested to have you. In fact, we even made sure you will go up against Ryoma and me. We enlisted the help of every single school, and they are good at keeping secrets."

"You…" Tezuka started, but winced as she yanked his hair down to the floor.

"Also, everyone already knew about your betrayal to Ryoma. Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Yeah." said Kamio.

"Yes. Aniki, I am very disappointed with you. To think we are even brothers!" Yuuta spat.

"I am disappointed in you, Seigaku." said Saeki. "Betraying a little boy and yet pining the blame on him. It's despicable."

"I agree." Murmurs of agreement filled the gym.

"See, Coach Levi? I told you not to let those Seigaku in the camp. And all for you!" she addressed the public. "How could you even believe their lies?"

Coach Levi coughed, and said, "Pakura, get off Tezuka." She obeyed and got off him, but not until she wrote the word 'betrayer' on Tezuka's arm with her knife. Her eyes looked like they were from the underworld once again. Coach Levi turned to the Seigaku members. "I can't believe you will do this treacherous thing. I give you one hour to pack your stuff, and get out of here. You shall not attend the dance. NOW!" The Seigaku members got out of the gym, and on the way, they were pelted with the refreshments provided by the Training Center. Tezuka's family also followed, but not before William tripped them. "Much better." William said, smiling.

Coach Levi turned to the other players. "Now, as you all know, the camp dance is coming up. It will be a formal dance held two days from now, to bid farewell to our champions. The Camp Dance is of course a chance for us all to let our hair down, after many weeks' worth of training. Do hurry up and ask your dates to the dance. Also, your partners need not be the opposite gender. That's all for today." With that, they were dismissed.

Atobe and Ryoma waited until they were alone in the penthouse.

Atobe said, "Ryoma, will you go to the dance with Ore-sama?"

Ryoma laughed. "Of course, Keigo."

Omake (Poll)

**Ryoma: Hey everyone! Today, the author couldn't decide, so she's asking you to decide…again. Sheesh, why didn't we call her Miss Indecisive? **

**William: She's our author, Ryoma. Anyway, she wanted to ask you readers something.**

**Ryoma: Oh yeah. She wanted to ask if she should write a story about us in our later lives. That means writing about our lives together when we are in our 20s, and probably married.**

**William: That's right. She's asking you all to decide, because she's indecisive….but if there is enthusiastic response, she'll write it as soon as possible, and she'll try her best to write it!**

**Ryoma: Yup! Also, she's happy that she received a lot of reviews! She says to keep it up.**

**William: By the way, what did she say as well?**

**Ryoma: She said this chapter may be bad because she's watching Beelzebub while writing this. I don't get it. What is so interesting about a delinquent having to take care of a Demon lord Baby? **

**William: (hands him manga) You should go to your room and read this, Ryoma.**

**Ryoma: Alright. I will.**

**William: Do put your opinion in your reviews. Oh and do review on this chapter as well! Don't disappoint her, alright?**


	32. Dance and Farewell

**BP: Bad news, I lost my phone. The worst part, it's I put it on silent mode so it would be very hard to find. Argh! Why did I put it on silent mode in the first place? I am getting pissed off at myself as the second passes…never mind, back to the story!**

Yup, as you expected, since the dance required dates, the male players weren't left alone, especially the champions. The male champions found themselves surrounded by girls, asking them to take them to the Non-denominational Formal Dance. Oh, and just so to let you know, Ryoga asked Pakura to the dance yesterday, when they are alone watching the TV in the lounge. So, yes, both the most desirable ones, Ryoma and Pakura are taken. The champions are now currently eating their lunch together, discussing the upcoming dance.

"Yes, me and Derek agreed to go to the dance together." said Chris, in answer to Ryoma's question. "I never really liked girls anyway."

"Yeah. Me and Philip are going with each other as well." said William. "Girls are never my thing. In fact, I don't even feel anything for girls. They are just so annoying and creepy."

A week ago, Ryoma may have said that avoiding being asked for a dance would be a cinch compared to playing against Tezuka in a match. But now that he had done the latter, and was on the prospect of being asked for a dance, he thought he'd rather have another round of matches with Tezuka. Every girl (except Pakura) seemed to be obsessed with the upcoming dance, and it was amazing how many girls the coachs invited here. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they will wear if they are invited...

"You're not going to have any trouble even if you don't have Atobe as a date, Ryoma. You're a champion. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you." said Pakura. Amazingly, to Ryoma's surprise, she turned out to be right. A curly-haired girl from Yamabuki to whom Ryoma had never spoken to in his life asked him to go to the ball with her just this morning. Ryoma was so taken aback that he had said 'no' before he could even think about it (but it's good he didn't, because he's going with Atobe), and she walked off, looking rather hurt, and he had to endure Tyler's, Atobe's and Ryoga's taunts about her for about an hour. The next 5 hours, two more girls asked him, a girl from Fudomine and (to Ryoma's horror) a girl from Higa Chuu who looked as though she might knock him out if he refused.

"She was quite good looking." said Pakura, after she stopped laughing.

"She's a foot taller than me. Besides, I don't like girls." said Ryoma, still unnerved. But, his troubles were far from over.

"Man, I wonder why the boys have to move in packs." Tomoka wondered. "Hey, Sakuno, do you have any idea who you're going to try?"

Sakuno said nothing. She knew perfectly well whom she'd like to ask, but working up the nerve was something else….Ryoma was the same age as her, he was very good-looking, he's a very good tennis player, and he is very popular. Also it turned he was not lying when he said Seigaku betrayed him. However, every time she glimpsed him that day-during lunch, during break, and once on the way to training- he was surrounded by friends. Didn't he ever go anywhere alone? Could she perhaps ambush him as he was going to the bathroom? But no- he even seemed to go there with an escort of 1-3 people. Yet if she didn't do it soon, he was bound to have been asked by someone else.

Sakuno then got an idea. She'd just have to ask him for a private word that is all. Sure enough, she found him, walking out of the bathroom. "Er- Ryoma-kun? Can I have a word with you?"

His companion, Atobe, who was eating a Nutty Royale ice cream, smirked. Ryoma played it cool and said, "Ok," and followed her out of earshot of his boyfriend. Saknuo turned to look at him, and as usual, her stomach gave a weird lurch as if she missed a step going downwards.

"Er…" she said. Ryoma stood there, looking bored.

The words came out before Sakuno had quite got her tongue around them.

"Wangodancewime?" she said.

"What? Stop stuttering and ask me properly, idiot." said Ryoma.

"Do you….do you want to go to the dance with me?" said Sakuno, blushing. Why did she have to red now?

"Sorry, I am going with someone else. Besides, I'd rather take Pakura than take you, anyway." said Ryoma bluntly, and walked away. He returned to Atobe. "So, what did that girl want?"

"It's nothing." said Ryoma. "Let's go, Princess."

They walked past the Shitenhouji team, with Kintaro sitting ashen faced in the middle of his teammates. Shiraishi was patting his back, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice. "What's up, Kintaro?" said Atobe, joining them.

Kintaro looked up at Atobe, a sort of blind horror on his face.

"Why did I do it?" he said wildly. "I didn't know what made me do it!"

"What?" said Ryoma.

"He…er…just asked Pakura Goldstein to go to the dance with him." said Kenya. They looked like they were fighting back a smile, but they kept patting Kintaro's back sympathetically. "You what?" said Atobe.

"I didn't know what made me do it!" Kintaro gasped. "I mean, she was surrounded by her fellow champions, I've gone mad! Everyone was watching! I was just walking past her when she was talking to the champions and it sort of came over me- and I asked her!"

He moaned and placed his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable. "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. Her glare became more intense and then I sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"Well, that's because she's already going with someone else."

"Really? Who?" said Kenya.

"Sorry, we can't tell. You'd better hurry up, or all the good ones will be gone."

"Yeah, I know. But, most of them are not to our tastes."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you." With that, they walked off. When they were walking back to the twelfth floor, Ryoma muttered to Atobe, "This dance is a lot more trouble than it was worth." Atobe nodded in agreement.

Finally, it was the day of the dance. Those girls who did not get a date were ushered out of the Training Center. The champions, as usual were carted off to get prepped for the dance. Pakura had to wax her whole body and do all the stuff you have to do to get beautified before an evening out…purifying mud mask, Crest white strips, Biore strip etc. Get her nails and hair done, decorate her hair, etc. In the end, her hair was curled at the bottom and her hair was put up with pink jeweled clips but they left the back loose in a sort of flip. Also, her hair is hanging sexily over one eye. Her dress she was wearing was sleeveless soft pink- but not in an annoying, girly way- satin shells with even paler pink chiffon floating over them, they are covered all over the hem with clear crystals of different sizes that catch the light and glitter…but not in a trashy, Princess Barbie way. She was also wearing matching shoes. She met Ryoga and the others at the 12th floor, and linked her arm with Ryoga's. Ryoga even gave her a corsage (tiny white roses tied with pink ribbon, totally gorgeous, it must have cost him 620 yen at least) "Shall we go?" said Ryoma, who was wearing a olive colored suit that matches his eyes, with shining black shoes. They nodded. They went to the hall off the ballroom, which is packed with players, all milling around waiting for 8 o'clock, where the doors to the ballroom would be thrown open. Those people who had dates of different schools were edging through the crowd, trying to find each other. Jude and Tyler found their dates, Shizuku and Shizuka (twins), and brought them to meet the other champions.

Shizuku was wearing a dress of shocking pink, with her long dark hair plait braided with gold and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists. Her twin, Shizuka looks just as pretty in a dress of bright turquoise. Just then, Coach Mabi's voice called, "Champions over here please!" the twins readjusted their bangles, beaming; they walked towards Tyler and Jude, and clung to their arms, Shizuku to Jude, and Shizuka to Tyler. All the champions walked forwards, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. They waited at one side of the doors whiel everyone else went inside; they were to enter the ballroom in procession while the rest of the players and their dates sat down.

Once they did, Coach Mabi asked them to get in line in pairs and follow her. Pakura was just behind Ryoma, who was in front. They did so, and everyone in the ballroom applauded as they entered and started walking up towards a large round table at the top of the ballroom, where the Coaches were sitting, Pakura noticed everyone was staring at her date in disbelief. You could almost hear them saying "He's going out with her?" The ballroom was decorated in sparkling pink and blue lights and confetti was raining down on them. There were tables that were laden with every food and drinks imaginable. Also, couches were provided should you need to sit down. They sat down and listened to a speech in their honor, and also answered the coaches' questions. Then it was time to dance, and the champions had a blast rocking to "Express yourself". The champions and their dates slow-danced to "Crazy for you" and then they rumbaed to "La Isla Bonita."

However, later, Ryoma was later seen helping himself to Ponta at the drinks table, and to the champions amusement, he had to go to the toilet within 30 minutes. Pakura stared after Ryoma, eating a sundae Ryoga offered her. "Wonder where is he going?"

"To the toilet, probably." said Ryoga. "Hey, you got ice cream on your lips."

"Whe-" Ryoga cut her off by pressing his lips towards her, and licking the ice cream off. Ryoma came back just in time to see the kiss. "Hey, you're not a bad kisser, are you, Princess?" Ryoga and Pakura broke up, and shouted, "RYOMA!" at the same time, both of them flushin. Ryoma chuckled. The champions spent the rest of their nights eating when it was a fast song, but dancing when it is slow. Slow dancing is strange. It isn't even dancing really. It's more like standing there with your arms around the other person, moving from one foot to the other in time to the music. 'It's pretty nice to stand near your partner for warmth when you slow dance'. Ryoma thought. When the music finished playing at midnight, everyone started to wend their way back to their rooms. Many people were expressing the wish that the dance could have gone on longer, but the champions were happy to go to bed, because they are leaving back to America the very next day.

The next day, Ryoma and the champions were ready to go back to America. Unfortunately, Atobe couldn't; come with them, as he is part of the Japan team. Ryoma hugged him, crying, and shouted, "You better email and write often!"

Atobe hugged him back, assuring he would. Their flight was called and the 9 champions went to their flight, Ryoma turning back time and again to wave at Atobe.

One year later….

"We are supposed to go against the Japan team, Ryoma, let's go." said William.

Ryoma nodded. "Yeah"

"We will now commence the matches between America team and the Japan team. Those playing Singles 3, please step on the courts now."

Ryoma was surprised to find who his opponent is. It was Atobe.

"Well, Ryoma, please give Ore-sama a good match."

"You too, Keigo." Ryoma smirked

"One set match, Atobe to serve."

Atobe threw the ball in the air, and served.

**BP: Phew! Finally done! And those of you who wonder, yes, I did ballroom dancing before. The most embarrassing part is I was forced to dance the boy part. Also, I had to dance in front of the whole school, and I had to lead the dance. Anyway, do you think I should write a story about their later lives (refer to last omake)**


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